Container ship leaves Russian-blocked Ukrainian port of Odesa - Kyiv

FILE PHOTO: A general view of a grain terminal at the port of Odesa, Ukraine, April 10, 2023. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrup via REUTERS/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - A container ship left the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa on Wednesday morning, the government said, using what it has described as a new temporary corridor for merchant ships to and from its ports, which are blockaded by Russia.

Ukraine last week announced a "humanitarian corridor" in the Black Sea to release cargo ships that have been trapped in its ports since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.