Ukraine Lawmaker Says Two Ships Spotted Leaving Port in Odesa

Two ships have been spotted leaving port in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, local lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on Friday.

LSEG interactive map data showed two vessels, both more than 10 km (6 miles) from the shore on Friday, underway using their engines and heading south-east. 

If they successfully leave Odesa's ports through the Black Sea, they would be the third and fourth vessels to do so since Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea Grain deal in July. 

The UN-brokered deal had previously allowed Ukraine, a major agricultural exporter, to ship tens of millions of tons of produce to other countries during Russia's invasion. 

Honcharenko posted a photograph on the Telegram app [and on the X website (ex-Twitter)]  which showed two ships in the water. Reuters could not immediately verify the date or location of the photo. 

(Reuters - Reporting by Max Hunder and Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Andrew Heavens)