Russia has announced it is rejoining a deal allowing for grain shipments from Ukraine’s ports. This comes just four days after Russia withdrew from the deal, sparking fears it could worsen the global hunger crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the renewed deal would prioritize grain shipments to Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan and other African nations. Russia said it rejoined the deal after Ukraine agreed not to use the sea corridor to attack Russian forces.
Water and power have been restored to much of Kyiv following a series of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, but scheduled blackouts are ongoing due to a shortage of electricity.
Meanwhile, Russia has expanded a mandatory evacuation order for Ukrainians living in parts of occupied Kherson ahead of what is expected to be a major battle. In other news about the Ukraine war, the founder of one of Russia’s largest banks has given up his Russian citizenship. In a statement on Instagram, the billionaire Oleg Tinkov called Russia a “fascist country” and denounced it for “killing innocent people daily.”