Rocket attacks were reported in several places in southern Ukraine on Sunday, a day before ships loaded with grain were due to depart from the port of Odesa.

On Sunday evening, the neighboring city of Mykolayiv was hit by heavy Russian bombardment. Among those who lost their lives in the attack were Ukrainian businessman Oleksiy Vadatursky and his wife Raisa. It is one of the largest wheat producers and exporters in Ukraine.

On Sunday, authorities in Odesa reported that a Russian Iskander missile fired from the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula was aimed at the city. The rockets are said to have hit a mine and it is not clear if anyone was affected.

Uncommented

Russian authorities have not commented on the Ukrainian information as of Sunday evening.

Despite rising tensions, plans for Monday’s grain shipment are firm, Turkish authorities said. On 22 July an agreement was signed between Russia, Turkey, the United Nations and Ukraine on grain shipments from Odesa.

These waters are considered very dangerous. Russian warships blocked Ukrainian ports, while Ukrainian troops laid mines to protect themselves from Russian landing attempts.

-Most likely

On Sunday evening, Ibrahim Kalin’s spokesman for the Turkish president, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that they hoped the transport would go as planned.

– There is a high probability that the first ship can set sail tomorrow morning, if everything is ready by evening, Kalin told Turkish Channel 7 on Sunday.

However, he added that there were still some points to be agreed upon in discussions with Russia.

– We have reached the point of allowing ships to leave the port of Odesa. The ship is loaded and ready to sail, but we need good logistics coordination, said Kalin.

22 million tons

The agreement signed between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations will mean that grain exports can resume from three Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. This will allow 22 million tons of Ukrainian wheat to be exported to the world.

Ukraine is normally one of the world’s largest exporters of grain, but after Russia invaded the country in February, it became impossible for security reasons to transport grain through the Black Sea.

Exports have stopped completely – which has led to a sharp rise in grain prices. Tens of millions of people in poor countries are at risk of starvation because of the emerging situation.