Southern Ukraine News

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine has made it impossible to navigate parts of the Dnipro River and deprived Kyiv of an important agricultural export route, shipping authorities said.The loss of the route is another problem for Ukraine as uncertainty hangs over the future of a U.N.-brokered deal allowing the safe export of grain from three Ukrainian ports.Ukraine is an important global grain and oilseeds producer, but its exports have fallen significantly…

In Mykolaiv's blast-cratered district of Korabel, close to Ukraine's southern front, Pavel Salohub, a teacher of history and boxing, has not heard a single explosion in four days - the first such respite from war since Russia invaded.Friday's recapture of the city of Kherson has shunted the frontline dozens of kilometres to the east, and with it Russian artillery, spurring hopes that almost nine months of regular shelling and strikes are ending, the 28-year-old said."Emotionally everyone is happier, you can feel it. It's the first thing everyone talks about. It's really lifted morale.

Russia's lead warship in the Black Sea sank on Thursday, Russia's defense ministry announced, after what Ukraine said was a missile strike and Russia described as an explosion of ammunition on board.The loss of the Moskva, the flagship in Russia's Black Sea fleet, occurred as it was being towed to port in stormy weather, Russian news agencies quoted the defense ministry as saying. The sinking was a fresh blow to Moscow's military campaign as it readied for new assaults in east…

Russia is tracking a Spanish naval ship in the Black Sea, the Interfax news agency cited Russia's defense ministry as saying on Wednesday, as Ukraine and NATO countries both held military drills in the area.The ministry said the Spanish ship had entered the Black Sea on Wednesday to take part in the Sea Breeze 2021 military drills, which started late last month in the Black Sea and southern Ukraine and involve more than 30 countries.Two Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets also escorted a foreign reconnaissance aircraft…

A cargo ship heading from Russia to Turkey sunk off the coast of Crimea early on Wednesday morning and 11 of the crew are missing, Crimea's emergency situations ministry said. It said that the Panama-flagged vessel 'Geroi Arsenala' had sent an SOS signal when it was located 14 nautical miles off the Crimean coast. The Interfax news agency cited Russian transport officials as saying that the ship, whose home port was reported to be Kherson in southern Ukraine, had broken in half during a strong storm and sunk. At least six ships and a helicopter were engaged in a search and rescue operation, the emergency situations ministry said in a statement. Their task was complicated however by high winds and choppy waters.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Monday on a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the commander of Russian paratroopers as well as two confiscated Crimean energy companies, raising pressure on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine. Putin's first deputy chief of staff, Vyacheslav Volodin, and Vladimir Shamanov, the commander of Russian airborne troops that took part in Russia's occupation ofUkraine's Crimea region in March, were among 13 people added to the EU's sanctions list. Volodin, a wealthy former lawyer and veteran political strategist, is already on the U.S. sanctions list. The latest additions bring to 61 the number of Russians and Ukrainians the EU has targeted with asset freezes and visa bans.

A mediator from Europe's OSCE security body headed to eastern Ukraine on Saturday seeking the surrender of pro-Russian separatists as the Kiev government declared an Easter truce following a peace accord with Moscow. Gunmen occupying public buildings in Donetsk and other Russian-speaking border towns refuse to recognise an accord in Geneva on Thursday by which Russia, Ukraine and Kiev's U.S. and EU allies agreed that the OSCE should oversee the disarmament of militants and the evacuation of occupied facilities and streets. The coming days may determine whether unrest following the overthrow ofUkraine's pro-Moscow president can be contained. Russia, which annexed Crimea last month in the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, denies running the separatists or planning to invade.

The Ukrainian government said it will not attack pro-Russian separatists over the Easter weekend as its U.S. ally threatened Moscow with new sanctions if it fails to persuade the militants to surrender. The Kremlin denies having control over gunmen who want their eastern regions to follow Crimea in being annexed by Russia. Moscow scolded Washington for treating Russia like a "guilty schoolboy" following their agreement in Geneva on Thursday that Ukrainian militants should disarm and vacate occupied buildings. Ukraine's government, short of effective forces, has shown little sign of trying to recapture the dozen or so town halls, police stations and other sites seized over the past two weeks, despite proclaiming the launch of an "anti-terrorist operation".

A day after an international deal in Geneva to defuse the East-West crisis in Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists vowed not to end their occupation of public buildings and Washington threatened further sanctions on Moscow if the stalemate continued. Leaders of gunmen who have taken over city halls and other sites in and around Donetsk this month in pursuit of demands for a Crimea-style referendum on union with Russia rejected the agreement struck in Geneva by Ukraine, Russia, theUnited States and European Union and demanded on Friday that the leaders of the Kiev uprising must first quit their own government offices. Moscow renewed its insistence that it has no control over the "little green men" who…

Crude oil tanker earnings on the major Middle East route fell on Tuesday as a build up of vessels available for hire weighed on rate sentiment. Shipping markets continued to monitor developments in Ukraine after Russia sent military forces into the Crimea region of southern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would only use military force in Ukraine as a last resort. A U.S. official said it was ready to impose economic sanctions on Russia. The world's benchmark VLCC export route from the Middle East Gulf (MEG) to Japan reached W50.73 in the Worldscale measure of freight rates, or $25,765 a day when translated into average earnings. That compared with W51.33 or $27,219 a day on Monday and W55.05 or $32,176 a day last Tuesday.

Reuters - Russia is taking measures to ensure security of the facilities and arms at its Black Sea Naval Fleet based on the Crimean coast in southern Ukraine, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday. "We are carefully watching what is happening in Crimea, what is happening around the Black Sea Fleet," Russian state news agency RIA reported Shoigu as saying. "We are taking measures to guarantee the safety of facilities, infrastructure and arsenals of the Black Sea Fleet." He gave no specific details

Volvo Penta has signed an order for engines for the Ukraine. As a result of its extended product program, Volvo Penta has been chosen as the complete engine supplier for a new series of tugs in the Ukraine. In all, this will involve deliveries of 15 diesel engines for three sister vessels which will be built in 2002. Volvo Penta’s order is worth about $3.29 million from the Ukraine for the engines for a total of three multi-purpose tugs. Two 65-liter propulsion engines for each tug; two seven-liter engines for powering gen sets on board each boat; one six-liter engine for operating the fire pumps on board each tug; making a total of 15 engines, six of which are the largest in Volvo Penta’s large marine diesel program and nine of which are six- to seven-litre engines.

Ukraine will sell a 78 percent stake in shipbuilding company Okean in an auction on September 11, the State Property Fund said. The stake in the company, located in Mykolayiv in southern Ukraine, is being offered to investors at a starting price of $4.8 million, the fund said. The winner of the tender would have to preserve Okean's specialization as ship-builder, pay off its debts to the budget of $459,660 and cover salary arrears of $1 million. The charter capital of the company, defined as the number of shares multiplied by the face value of one share, is $704,199. In the first half of this year Okean had a pre-tax loss of $606,751. Last year the company had a pre-tax loss of $9.6 million.

Dutch B.V. Holding Maatschappij Damen has bought 78 percent of Ukraine's ship building plant Okean and will pay 26.3 million hryvnias ($4.8 million) for the stake, the State Property Fund said on Thursday. The Dutch company, which has won a privatization tender, will also have to pay off Okean's tax arrears of 2.5 million hryvnias and cover salary arrears of 5.5 million hryvnias. The plant, located in the city of Mykolayiv in southern Ukraine posted a pre-tax loss of 3.3 million hryvnias in the first half of this year. Last year the company had a pre-tax loss of 52.3 million hryvnias.