KYIV, Ukraine, Aug 16, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Kyiv said Wednesday that the first cargo ship to use new Black Sea shipping lanes had exited a southern Ukrainian port despite threats from Russia that its navy could target vessels leaving Ukraine.

"The first vessel is moving along the temporary corridors established for civilian vessels to and from Black Sea ports," Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in a statement.