The General Staff is considering possible scenarios regarding Russian provocations during the transportation of grain from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces Navy is ready to escort vessels in case of need. This was said during a briefing by the deputy head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the AFU Oleksiy Gromov, the UNN reports.

 "As for the provocations that may be in the Odessa region. We, together with other security and defense sector power structures, are monitoring the situation. There is, according to our experts, some list of developments in that direction. Appropriate measures have been taken now and will be taken further. As for escorting the transport with grain. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Naval Forces themselves, are ready to carry out these measures, but all this will also take place in accordance with the development of events," Gromov said.

According to him, a coordination group has been created in the General Staff, which is directly involved in this issue.

Ukraine, the United Nations, Turkey and russia signed an agreement on July 22 (Ukraine and russia separately) aimed at ensuring the safe passage of ships that enter and leave three Ukrainian Black Sea ports (Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny), which were blocked by russia after the February 24 invasion by Moscow.

Ukraine and russia are major grain exporters, and the blockade of the ports has delayed tens of millions of tons of grain in the country.

Reuters quoted a Turkish official as saying that the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain could leave the Black Sea port as early as this week.

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that an agreement on grain exports could lead to the resumption of cease-fire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.