On the 159th day of the struggle of the Ukrainian people against the Russian aggressor, the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, emphasized that despite the the ongoing war and the agressor's genocidal intentions against Ukrainians, Ukraine is thinking about feeding those who threatened by hunger.
During the more than 5 months of the war, the enemy attacked civilian objects, buildings and people 60 times more often than the military objects. Patriarch Sviatoslav once again emphasized that this shows the genocidal intention of the agressor who came to kill the Ukrainian people. "Our people are bleeding... but still, they defend their home. They defend their land, having love for God and their neighbor," added the Head of the Church while talking about the situation at the front.
"Ukraine stands! Ukraine fights! Ukraine prays! Most of all, Ukraine thinks beyond its own interests. It cares about feeding the hungry in the whole world," said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
He said that on August 1, the first grain caravan left Odesa to take Ukrainian grain and feed the hungry in different countries. "The fate of millions depends on this very special moment. Therefore, let us pray for the success of this noble cause because the enemy destroys bread on purpose. In Zaporizhzhia alone, the Russians have deliberately destroyed 40,000 tons of Ukrainian grain in recent months," said the Head of the UGCC.
On August 1, President Zelensky announced that 16 ships with Ukrainian food are waiting for shipment. He noted that it is still too early to draw any conclusions and predict further actions regarding the implementation of the initiative to export Ukrainian grain, and there can be no illusions that Russia will refrain from disrupting Ukrainian exports. He said this in his evening video address.
"Today, the implementation of the initiative to export Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products from our ports on the Black Sea began. The first ship carrying 26,000 tons of corn left the port of Odessa. As of now, we cannot draw any conclusions and predict future events. But the port has started working, as has the export movement, and this can be called the first positive signal that there is a chance to stop the development of the food crisis in the world," Zelensky said.
It should be noted that the first ship with Ukrainian grain should arrive today, August 2, at the port of Istanbul.