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(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Aug 04, 10:24 AM EDT
Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians, Amnesty International says

Ukrainian forces attempting to repel the Russian invasion have put civilians in harm’s way by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, including in schools and hospitals, Amnesty International said Thursday.

The London-based international human rights group published a new report detailing such tactics, saying they turn civilian objects into military targets.

“We have documented a pattern of Ukrainian forces putting civilians at risk and violating the laws of war when they operate in populated areas,” Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said in a statement. “Being in a defensive position does not exempt the Ukrainian military from respecting international humanitarian law.”

Between April and July, Amnesty International researchers spent several weeks investigating Russian airstrikes in the Kharkiv, Donbas and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine. The organization inspected strike sites, interviewed survivors, witnesses and relatives of victims of attacks, as well as carried out remote-sensing and weapons analysis. Throughout the probe, researchers found evidence of Ukrainian forces launching strikes from within populated residential areas as well as basing themselves in civilian buildings in 19 towns and villages in the regions, according to Amnesty International.

The organization said most residential areas where Ukrainian soldiers located themselves were miles away from front lines, with viable alternatives that would not endanger civilians, such as nearby military bases or densely wooded areas, and other structures further away. In the cases documented, Amnesty International said it is not aware of the Ukrainian troops asking or assisting civilians to evacuate nearby buildings in the residential areas, which the organization called “a failure to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.”

Amnesty International, however, noted that not every Russian attack it documented followed this pattern. In certain other locations in which the organization concluded that Russia had committed war crimes, including in some areas of the city of Kharkiv, the organization did not find evidence of Ukrainian forces located in the civilian areas unlawfully targeted by the Russian military.

Aug 03, 11:21 AM EDT
Inspectors in Turkey clear 1st grain ship from Ukraine, but no sign of more

The first commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian grain under a wartime deal has safely departed the Black Sea, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni set sail from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Monday, with more than 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn on board. The vessel docked off the coast of Istanbul late Tuesday, where it was required to be inspected before being allowed to proceed to its final destination, Lebanon.

A joint civilian inspection comprising officials from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.N. inspected the Razoni on Wednesday morning, checking on the cargo and crew. After three hours, the team cleared the ship to set sail for Lebanon, according to the U.N. said.

“This marks the conclusion of an initial ‘proof of concept’ operation to execute the agreement,” the U.N. said in a statement Wednesday.

It’s the first commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian grain to safely depart the Black Sea since the start of Russia’s ongoing offensive, and the first to do so under the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative. Last month, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the U.N. to allow Ukraine to resume its shipment of grain from the Black Sea to world markets and for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.

In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Razoni’s journey a “significant step” but noted that “this is only a first step.”

No other grain shipments have departed Ukraine in the last two days and officials on all sides have offered no explanation for that delay.

The U.N. said Wednesday that three Ukrainian ports “are due to resume the export of millions of tons of wheat, corn and other crops,” but didn’t provide further details.

Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fertilizer and fuel has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but a Russian blockade in the Black Sea combined with Ukrainian naval mines have made exporting siloed grain and other foodstuffs virtually impossible. As a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.

Aug 03, 9:58 AM EDT
Thousands flee ‘hell’ in Ukraine’s east

Two-thirds of residents have fled eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast since the start of Russia’s invasion in late February, according to the regional governor.

Speaking to Ukrainian media on Tuesday, Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said some 350,000 residents remain in the war-torn region.

During his Tuesday evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the hostilities in Ukraine’s east “hell.”

“It cannot be described with words,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian forces cannot yet “completely break the Russian army’s advantage in artillery and manpower, and this is very noticeable in the fighting,” he added.

Last month, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 200,000 civilians must be evacuated from the Donetsk Oblast before the weather gets colder, as there is no proper electricity or gas supply in the area for residents to heat their homes. Russian forces are also destroying heating equipment, according to Vereshchuk.

Zelenskyy has ordered the mandatory evacuation of Donetsk Oblast residents, urging them to leave as soon as possible. Those who comply will be compensated.

“The more people leave [the] Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill,” he said.

Although many refuse to go, Zelenskyy stressed that “it still needs to be done.”

Mandatory evacuation from Donetsk Oblast began on Aug. 1. The first two trains evacuated 224 people to the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, according to local officials.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd, Fidel Pavlenko and Yuriy Zaliznyak

Aug 02, 4:25 PM EDT
Shipment carrying 27,000 tons of grain leaves Ukraine for Istanbul

A ship carrying 27,000 tons of corn has left the Ukrainian port of Odesa and is expected to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the Joint Coordination Centre, Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The ship, adorned with the flag of Sierra Leon, left Odesa on Monday morning and is ultimately destined for Lebanon, according to the JCC.

The route will follow a humanitarian corridor, the JCC said.

The JCC is responsible for carrying out inspections on inbound and outbound vessels in Istanbul to ensure there is no unauthorized crew or cargo, according to the statement.

The arrival of the shipment from Ukraine is a beacon of hope amid the ongoing invasion from Russia. Since the war began, shipments of grain out of Ukraine, considered one of the breadbaskets of the world, have all but stalled — leading experts to fear a possible food shortage that could plunge millions into malnutrition.

Preparations and planning for ships that can export grain and similar foodstuffs from the three ports in Ukraine are still continuing, according to the JCC, which described the feat as a “historical” humanitarian mission. The initial run to move significant volumes of commercial grain is expected to last 120 days.

“The JCC ‘s work is critical to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative that helps address global food security,” the statement read. “The Initiative is focused on exporting grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from Ukraine.”

-ABC News’ Engin Bas

Aug 02, 9:19 AM EDT
Power plant used by Russia as ‘nuclear shield,’ Blinken says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday condemned the conduct of Russian troops around the Zaporizhia power plant — the biggest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and Europe — calling it “the height of irresponsibility.”

Speaking after nuclear nonproliferation talks at the United Nations in New York, Blinken said Russia was turning the power plant into a “nuclear shield.”

“Russia is now using the plant as a military base to fire at Ukrainians, knowing that they can’t and won’t shoot back because they might accidentally strike a nuclear reactor or highly radioactive waste in storage,” Blinken said.

The secretary added that Russia’s actions bring “the notion of having a human shield to an entirely different and horrific level.”

Russia was already accused of firing shells dangerously close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in March as Russian troops occupied the facility in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday a nuclear war should “never be unleashed,” according to local media. Putin stressed that Russia continues to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as well as its bilateral agreements with the U.S. on the reduction of nuclear weapons.

Aug 01, 2:36 PM EDT
US announces new round of aid to Ukraine

The United States is sending a 17th round of aid to Ukraine, consisting of more ammunition for HIMARS rocket systems and howitzers, White House spokesman John Kirby announced.

This aid comes from presidential drawdown authority, separate from any aid passed by Congress.

This package totals $550 million and brings the total of U.S. presidential drawdown aid given to Ukraine since February to $8.8 billion.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Sarah Kolinovsky

Aug 01, 9:14 AM EDT
Russian troops on the move ahead of expected Ukrainian counteroffensive

The Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Monday Russian troops were massing in the direction of the town of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region, possibly in a bid to prepare for a large Ukrainian counterattack.

Talk of a major Ukrainian counteroffensive aimed at taking back the southern city of Kherson, about 140 miles south of Kryvyi Rih, has been gathering pace for several weeks.

The Ukrainian military also issued the maximum missile-fire-threat alert on Sunday in reaction to Russian troops massing in the Black Sea.

At least 17 warships and boats of the Russian Black Sea fleet were maneuvering near the Crimean coast on Sunday, according to Ukrainian military officials.

Among them were six Kalibr cruise missile carriers with more than 40 high-precision missiles on board, as well as four large landing ships.

Russia has also been transferring a large number of troops to occupied Crimea, Vadym Skibitskyi, of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, said on Monday.

Russia plans to deploy these troops in the south of Ukraine to conduct future combat operations, Skibitskyi said.

The official added that Russia withdrew tactical groups of airborne troops from the eastern Donetsk region and transferred them to occupied Kherson about two weeks ago.

Russian forces have resumed localized ground attacks northwest and southwest of Izyum over the weekend and may be setting conditions for offensive operations further west into Kharkiv Oblast or toward Kharkiv City, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest report.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd and Max Uzol

Aug 01, 9:09 AM EDT
A ‘day of relief for the world’ as Ukrainian grain shipments resume

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba called Monday a “day of relief for the world” as his country resumed grain shipments for the first time since Russia’s offensive began.

“The day of relief for the world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, as the first Ukrainian grain leaves Odesa after months of Russian blockade,” Kuleba wrote in a post on Twitter. “Ukraine has always been a reliable partner and will remain one should Russia respect its part of the deal.”

Aug 01, 4:12 AM EDT
Ukrainian lawmaker hails departure of 1st grain ship a ‘historic moment’

Watching as the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set off from Odesa’s port on Monday morning, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko called it “Ukraine’s victory” over Russia.

Honcharenko, the son of a former Odesa mayor, said this “historic moment” was only possible because Ukraine had inflicted so much damage on the Russian Navy and had liberated nearby Snake Island, forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to make a deal.

“It shows again the the language of force is the only language Putin understands,” Honcharenko told ABC News.

Honcharenko said he believes 16 more ships in the port will now begin moving out in the coming days. But he cautioned that he thinks Putin will now try to do everything to limit the ships coming in and out to a minimum within the U.N.-brokered deal, utilizing airstrikes near Ukrainian ports as well as trying to invent bureaucratic obstacles.

The next big test of the deal will be when the first ships come to enter Odesa, which Honcharenko said is expected at the end of this week.

-ABC News’ Dragana Jovanovic, Oleksii Pshemyskiy and Patrick Reevell

Aug 01, 3:47 AM EDT
1st ship carrying Ukrainian grain leaves Odesa port

The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain departed Odesa on Monday morning under an internationally brokered deal attempting to ease a global hunger crisis.

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni left the Ukrainian port city and is headed to Lebanon, a tiny Mideast nation that imports nearly all of its grain and lacks storage space after a 2020 explosion destroyed grain silos at its main port in Beirut. The vessel is expected to reach Istanbul on Tuesday, where it will be inspected before being allowed to proceed to Tripoli, according to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

Razoni, which is carrying 26,527 tons of corn, is the first commercial ship to set off from Ukraine’s port of Odesa since Feb. 26 and the first vessel to depart under the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the the United Nations secretary-general. Last month, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the U.N. to allow Ukraine to resume its shipment of grain from the Black Sea to world markets and for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.

Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fertilizer and fuel has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but a Russian blockade in the Black Sea combined with Ukrainian naval mines have made exporting siloed grain and other foodstuffs virtually impossible. As a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Aug 04, 10:24 AM EDT
Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians, Amnesty International says

Ukrainian forces attempting to repel the Russian invasion have put civilians in harm’s way by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, including in schools and hospitals, Amnesty International said Thursday.

The London-based international human rights group published a new report detailing such tactics, saying they turn civilian objects into military targets.

“We have documented a pattern of Ukrainian forces putting civilians at risk and violating the laws of war when they operate in populated areas,” Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said in a statement. “Being in a defensive position does not exempt the Ukrainian military from respecting international humanitarian law.”

Between April and July, Amnesty International researchers spent several weeks investigating Russian airstrikes in the Kharkiv, Donbas and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine. The organization inspected strike sites, interviewed survivors, witnesses and relatives of victims of attacks, as well as carried out remote-sensing and weapons analysis. Throughout the probe, researchers found evidence of Ukrainian forces launching strikes from within populated residential areas as well as basing themselves in civilian buildings in 19 towns and villages in the regions, according to Amnesty International.

The organization said most residential areas where Ukrainian soldiers located themselves were miles away from front lines, with viable alternatives that would not endanger civilians, such as nearby military bases or densely wooded areas, and other structures further away. In the cases documented, Amnesty International said it is not aware of the Ukrainian troops asking or assisting civilians to evacuate nearby buildings in the residential areas, which the organization called “a failure to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.”

Amnesty International, however, noted that not every Russian attack it documented followed this pattern. In certain other locations in which the organization concluded that Russia had committed war crimes, including in some areas of the city of Kharkiv, the organization did not find evidence of Ukrainian forces located in the civilian areas unlawfully targeted by the Russian military.

Aug 03, 11:21 AM EDT
Inspectors in Turkey clear 1st grain ship from Ukraine, but no sign of more

The first commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian grain under a wartime deal has safely departed the Black Sea, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni set sail from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Monday, with more than 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn on board. The vessel docked off the coast of Istanbul late Tuesday, where it was required to be inspected before being allowed to proceed to its final destination, Lebanon.

A joint civilian inspection comprising officials from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.N. inspected the Razoni on Wednesday morning, checking on the cargo and crew. After three hours, the team cleared the ship to set sail for Lebanon, according to the U.N. said.

“This marks the conclusion of an initial ‘proof of concept’ operation to execute the agreement,” the U.N. said in a statement Wednesday.

It’s the first commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian grain to safely depart the Black Sea since the start of Russia’s ongoing offensive, and the first to do so under the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative. Last month, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the U.N. to allow Ukraine to resume its shipment of grain from the Black Sea to world markets and for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.

In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Razoni’s journey a “significant step” but noted that “this is only a first step.”

No other grain shipments have departed Ukraine in the last two days and officials on all sides have offered no explanation for that delay.

The U.N. said Wednesday that three Ukrainian ports “are due to resume the export of millions of tons of wheat, corn and other crops,” but didn’t provide further details.

Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fertilizer and fuel has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but a Russian blockade in the Black Sea combined with Ukrainian naval mines have made exporting siloed grain and other foodstuffs virtually impossible. As a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.

Aug 03, 9:58 AM EDT
Thousands flee ‘hell’ in Ukraine’s east

Two-thirds of residents have fled eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast since the start of Russia’s invasion in late February, according to the regional governor.

Speaking to Ukrainian media on Tuesday, Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said some 350,000 residents remain in the war-torn region.

During his Tuesday evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the hostilities in Ukraine’s east “hell.”

“It cannot be described with words,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian forces cannot yet “completely break the Russian army’s advantage in artillery and manpower, and this is very noticeable in the fighting,” he added.

Last month, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 200,000 civilians must be evacuated from the Donetsk Oblast before the weather gets colder, as there is no proper electricity or gas supply in the area for residents to heat their homes. Russian forces are also destroying heating equipment, according to Vereshchuk.

Zelenskyy has ordered the mandatory evacuation of Donetsk Oblast residents, urging them to leave as soon as possible. Those who comply will be compensated.

“The more people leave [the] Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill,” he said.

Although many refuse to go, Zelenskyy stressed that “it still needs to be done.”

Mandatory evacuation from Donetsk Oblast began on Aug. 1. The first two trains evacuated 224 people to the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, according to local officials.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd, Fidel Pavlenko and Yuriy Zaliznyak

Aug 02, 4:25 PM EDT
Shipment carrying 27,000 tons of grain leaves Ukraine for Istanbul

A ship carrying 27,000 tons of corn has left the Ukrainian port of Odesa and is expected to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the Joint Coordination Centre, Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The ship, adorned with the flag of Sierra Leon, left Odesa on Monday morning and is ultimately destined for Lebanon, according to the JCC.

The route will follow a humanitarian corridor, the JCC said.

The JCC is responsible for carrying out inspections on inbound and outbound vessels in Istanbul to ensure there is no unauthorized crew or cargo, according to the statement.

The arrival of the shipment from Ukraine is a beacon of hope amid the ongoing invasion from Russia. Since the war began, shipments of grain out of Ukraine, considered one of the breadbaskets of the world, have all but stalled — leading experts to fear a possible food shortage that could plunge millions into malnutrition.

Preparations and planning for ships that can export grain and similar foodstuffs from the three ports in Ukraine are still continuing, according to the JCC, which described the feat as a “historical” humanitarian mission. The initial run to move significant volumes of commercial grain is expected to last 120 days.

“The JCC ‘s work is critical to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative that helps address global food security,” the statement read. “The Initiative is focused on exporting grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from Ukraine.”

-ABC News’ Engin Bas

Aug 02, 9:19 AM EDT
Power plant used by Russia as ‘nuclear shield,’ Blinken says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday condemned the conduct of Russian troops around the Zaporizhia power plant — the biggest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and Europe — calling it “the height of irresponsibility.”

Speaking after nuclear nonproliferation talks at the United Nations in New York, Blinken said Russia was turning the power plant into a “nuclear shield.”

“Russia is now using the plant as a military base to fire at Ukrainians, knowing that they can’t and won’t shoot back because they might accidentally strike a nuclear reactor or highly radioactive waste in storage,” Blinken said.

The secretary added that Russia’s actions bring “the notion of having a human shield to an entirely different and horrific level.”

Russia was already accused of firing shells dangerously close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in March as Russian troops occupied the facility in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday a nuclear war should “never be unleashed,” according to local media. Putin stressed that Russia continues to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as well as its bilateral agreements with the U.S. on the reduction of nuclear weapons.

Aug 01, 2:36 PM EDT
US announces new round of aid to Ukraine

The United States is sending a 17th round of aid to Ukraine, consisting of more ammunition for HIMARS rocket systems and howitzers, White House spokesman John Kirby announced.

This aid comes from presidential drawdown authority, separate from any aid passed by Congress.

This package totals $550 million and brings the total of U.S. presidential drawdown aid given to Ukraine since February to $8.8 billion.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Sarah Kolinovsky

Aug 01, 9:14 AM EDT
Russian troops on the move ahead of expected Ukrainian counteroffensive

The Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Monday Russian troops were massing in the direction of the town of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region, possibly in a bid to prepare for a large Ukrainian counterattack.

Talk of a major Ukrainian counteroffensive aimed at taking back the southern city of Kherson, about 140 miles south of Kryvyi Rih, has been gathering pace for several weeks.

The Ukrainian military also issued the maximum missile-fire-threat alert on Sunday in reaction to Russian troops massing in the Black Sea.

At least 17 warships and boats of the Russian Black Sea fleet were maneuvering near the Crimean coast on Sunday, according to Ukrainian military officials.

Among them were six Kalibr cruise missile carriers with more than 40 high-precision missiles on board, as well as four large landing ships.

Russia has also been transferring a large number of troops to occupied Crimea, Vadym Skibitskyi, of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, said on Monday.

Russia plans to deploy these troops in the south of Ukraine to conduct future combat operations, Skibitskyi said.

The official added that Russia withdrew tactical groups of airborne troops from the eastern Donetsk region and transferred them to occupied Kherson about two weeks ago.

Russian forces have resumed localized ground attacks northwest and southwest of Izyum over the weekend and may be setting conditions for offensive operations further west into Kharkiv Oblast or toward Kharkiv City, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest report.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd and Max Uzol

Aug 01, 9:09 AM EDT
A ‘day of relief for the world’ as Ukrainian grain shipments resume

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba called Monday a “day of relief for the world” as his country resumed grain shipments for the first time since Russia’s offensive began.

“The day of relief for the world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, as the first Ukrainian grain leaves Odesa after months of Russian blockade,” Kuleba wrote in a post on Twitter. “Ukraine has always been a reliable partner and will remain one should Russia respect its part of the deal.”

Aug 01, 4:12 AM EDT
Ukrainian lawmaker hails departure of 1st grain ship a ‘historic moment’

Watching as the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set off from Odesa’s port on Monday morning, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko called it “Ukraine’s victory” over Russia.

Honcharenko, the son of a former Odesa mayor, said this “historic moment” was only possible because Ukraine had inflicted so much damage on the Russian Navy and had liberated nearby Snake Island, forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to make a deal.

“It shows again the the language of force is the only language Putin understands,” Honcharenko told ABC News.

Honcharenko said he believes 16 more ships in the port will now begin moving out in the coming days. But he cautioned that he thinks Putin will now try to do everything to limit the ships coming in and out to a minimum within the U.N.-brokered deal, utilizing airstrikes near Ukrainian ports as well as trying to invent bureaucratic obstacles.

The next big test of the deal will be when the first ships come to enter Odesa, which Honcharenko said is expected at the end of this week.

-ABC News’ Dragana Jovanovic, Oleksii Pshemyskiy and Patrick Reevell

Aug 01, 3:47 AM EDT
1st ship carrying Ukrainian grain leaves Odesa port

The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain departed Odesa on Monday morning under an internationally brokered deal attempting to ease a global hunger crisis.

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni left the Ukrainian port city and is headed to Lebanon, a tiny Mideast nation that imports nearly all of its grain and lacks storage space after a 2020 explosion destroyed grain silos at its main port in Beirut. The vessel is expected to reach Istanbul on Tuesday, where it will be inspected before being allowed to proceed to Tripoli, according to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

Razoni, which is carrying 26,527 tons of corn, is the first commercial ship to set off from Ukraine’s port of Odesa since Feb. 26 and the first vessel to depart under the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the the United Nations secretary-general. Last month, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the U.N. to allow Ukraine to resume its shipment of grain from the Black Sea to world markets and for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.

Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fertilizer and fuel has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but a Russian blockade in the Black Sea combined with Ukrainian naval mines have made exporting siloed grain and other foodstuffs virtually impossible. As a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(REYKJAVIK, Iceland) — An Icelandic volcano has come back to life after a series of nearby earthquakes rumbled it awake, the Icelandic Met Office reported Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning a 4.6 earthquake was recorded on the eastern side of the Fagradalsfjall volcano, prompting further concerns of volcanic action. An hour later, it began erupting.

According to IMO, a volcanic fissure eruption about 100 to 200 meters long left new magma over a field of lava established by eruptions in the area last year.

The IMO has urged people not to go near the volcano, which is about 20 miles south of the country’s capital, Reykjavik, and its nearby Keflavík Airport. According to its statement, the volcanic gas in the area can be hazardous.

However, the IMO said that it does not believe the eruption will cancel any flights or move into the city.

The IMO has recorded over 3,000 earthquakes in the last week. The most intense was a 5.4 earthquake recorded on July 31 northeast of Grindavík.

Last year, a six-month eruption from Fagradalsfjall broke an 80- year dormancy of volcanic eruptions in the area.

Tourists flocked to the site from March to September 2021 to see the lava bubble and belch. Now, almost a year later, the same volcano is active.

IMO said it saw the signs that brought last year’s eruption revive.

“There are indications that the deformation and seismicity is declining and this was precursory to the eruption which started on 19th March 2021,” the IMO said in a statement on Tuesday. “Considering all of the above, the likelihood of an eruption at Fagradalsfjall within the coming days is considered to be substantial.”

A day later, the office has confirmed the reawakening of the visual phenomenon.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Risk management strategies for floods and drought may not reduce the effects of unprecedented extreme weather events as they become more frequent due to climate change, researchers are warning.

In the past, even with effective risk management efforts that reduced global vulnerability to floods and drought, the regions affected still suffered dire consequences, researchers at the German Research Center for Geosciences stated in a study published Wednesday in Nature.

Those events are already increasing in severity in many parts of the world. If the planet warms by 2 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution started, the worst-case scenario presented in the Paris Agreement and many climate change studies, flooding events may double globally and even triple in some places, according to the study.

The planet has already warmed a little more than 1 degree Celsius, according to scientists.

The researchers analyzed a dataset of 45 pairs of flood or drought events that occurred in the same area at different time points — about 16 years apart on average — and found that, in general, risk management reduced the impact of floods and drought.

However, when the events were at magnitudes that have not been previously experienced, the effectiveness of the risk management strategies may not as successful, regardless of the approaches taken and whether they had worked in the past, the researchers found.

This may be due to aging infrastructure that was designed to manage a hazard much less menacing than the extreme weather events that are occurring today, such as levees or water reservoirs being exceeded, according to the study.

In addition, flaws to human risk perception, especially for rare extreme events, might hinder efforts to anticipate them and lessen their effects, the researchers said.

In the past two weeks, the U.S. has experienced heat waves in regions that had rarely reached triple-digit temperatures, such as the Pacific Northwest, and back-to-back devastating flooding events in regions that are not built or equipped to handle such an influx of precipitation that modern day storm systems are carrying, such as the record flooding that occurred in Missouri and the catastrophic flooding that claimed dozens of lives in eastern Kentucky.

The researchers did note successful responses from two events in which the second event was more hazardous but the effects were less than those of the first event — flooding in Barcelona in 1995 and 2018 and Danube catchment floods in Austria and Germany in 2002 and 2013.

They hypothesized that the lessened damage from the second event was due to improved risk management investment and integrated management approaches, which then led to improved early warning and emergency responses.

The findings highlight the difficulty of managing such extreme events as warming global temperatures increase the frequency and intensity of not just floods and drought but storm systems and wildfires as well, the researchers said.

The successful responses can serve as an example for risk management efforts for future unprecedented weather events, the authors concluded.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TAIPEI, Taiwan) — Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she and other members of a congressional delegation “came to Taiwan to make unequivocally clear we will not abandon our commitment” to the self-governing island.

Pelosi and her delegation landed in Taipei on Tuesday night despite repeated warnings not to visit from mainland China, which claims the island as its own territory. She is the first U.S. speaker to visit Taiwan in more than 25 years. Beijing considers any official contact with Taiwan a recognition of its democratically elected government, which the mainland’s ruling Communist Party asserts has no right to conduct foreign relations.

Minutes after Pelosi’s plane touched down at Taipei Songshan Airport in the Taiwanese capital, mainland China announced live-fire military drills around Taiwan, some of which reportedly began that night ahead of four days of exercises starting Thursday.

The military exercises will be the largest aimed at the island since 1995, when China fired missiles apparently in response to then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui visiting the United States.

On Wednesday, Pelosi and her delegation met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as well as other senior officials in Taipei. In a brief speech during her meeting with Tsai, the U.S. speaker conveyed the message that, “now more than ever, American solidarity with Taiwan is crucial.”

The military exercises will be the largest aimed at the island since 1995, when China fired missiles apparently in response to then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui visiting the United States.

On Wednesday, Pelosi and her delegation met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as well as other senior officials in Taipei. In a brief speech during her meeting with Tsai, the U.S. speaker conveyed the message that, “now more than ever, American solidarity with Taiwan is crucial.”

Tsai thanked Pelosi and the delegation for visiting the island democracy under “challenging circumstances,” slamming Beijing’s military drills as “unnecessary responses.” She said Taiwan is “committed to maintaining the status quo across the strait” and that her government is open to constructive dialogue with Beijing, which has refused to engage with Tsai’s administration since she came to power in 2016.

“Facing deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down,” Tsai said during the meeting. “We will firmly uphold our nation’s sovereignty and continue to hold the line of defense for democracy.”

The Taiwanese president also thanked Pelosi — “truly one of Taiwan’s most devoted friends” — for her decades of support and presented her with a civilian honor, the Order of the Propitious Clouds.

“Thank you for taking concrete actions to show your staunch support for Taiwan at this critical moment and for expressing the U.S.’s consistent policy supporting Taiwan’s self-defense,” she added.

Pelosi and the delegation departed Taiwan on Wednesday evening. The surprise visit, which was not announced until after their plane landed, was part of Pelosi’s tour of Asia. She visited Singapore on Monday and Malaysia on Tuesday. She will be traveling to South Korea and Japan before returning to the U.S.

Following a string of fiery reactions from various Chinese officials and agencies, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued two separate statements on Wednesday condemning Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.

“This act seriously violates the one-China principle, maliciously infringes on China’s sovereignty, and openly carries out political provocations, arouses strong indignation among the Chinese people and arouses widespread opposition from the international community,” Wang said in the first statement. “This proves once again that some American politicians have become ‘troublemakers’ in Sino-US relations, and the United States has become the ‘largest spoiler’ of peace and regional stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

In the second statement, Wang directly linked Tsai with “‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” possibly signaling upcoming consequences from Beijing.

Under the so-called “One China principle,” Beijing regards Taiwan as their territory, a renegade province to be reunified — by force if necessary — with the mainland. The U.S. has a “One China Policy” that recognizes the people of mainland China and Taiwan as being part of “One China,” views Beijing as China’s sole legal government and does not support an independent Taiwan, but considers the matter “unsettled.” Washington is also militarily supportive of the self-governing island and maintains extensive commercial and unofficial ties.

Taiwan split from mainland China in 1949, following a civil war between the Nationalist Party’s forces and those of the Communist Party. As the communists took control of the mainland, the nationalists retreated to the island of Taiwan where they established their new capital.

Both sides agree that they are one country but disagree on which is the national leader. Although they have no formal relations, the island’s economy remains reliant on trade with the mainland.

The U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. The Taiwan Relations Act, which went into force that same year, requires Washington to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

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(WASHINGTON) — More than six months after Texas father David Barnes was arrested by Russian authorities, his family is calling on officials in Washington to do more to try to facilitate his release.

“David’s a very caring and empathetic person,” his sister, Carol Barnes, told ABC News. “Every minute of every day, my mind is on what he’s going through, the hell that he’s living in, and how unjust it is.”

David Barnes has been held since January in a Moscow jail. He is one of several Americans being detained in Russia, but unlike Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan or Marc Fogel, law enforcement in Moscow has alleged that he engaged in criminal activity in the United States — an accusation that has bewildered members of his family, American prosecutors and now, his local congressman.

“Mr. Barnes has been arrested and detained for political purposes, and my office is working with the State Department to bring him back to Texas as soon as possible,” Rep. Kevin Brady told ABC News in a statement. “We continue to urge the Biden administration to do all it can to resolve this situation and free Mr. Barnes.”

David Barnes traveled from suburban Houston to Moscow in December 2021 in an effort to gain legal clearance to either see his children or bring them home, after his Russian ex-wife allegedly violated a court custody order and fled the United States with them, according to his family.

In August 2020, a judge in Montgomery County signed an order designating David Barnes as the sole managing conservator of his children, which gave him rights to decide the primary home for his children, make decisions regarding their education, represent them in legal actions, and possess their passports.

Barnes’ ex-wife is herself now wanted in the U.S. on a felony charge of interference with child custody, after she fled with the children in 2019.

“David Barnes traveled to Russia in an honest attempt to reunite with his children, who had been kidnapped by their mother and taken to Russia illegally,” Brady said. “This is a child custody dispute, not a criminal matter.”

On Jan. 13, Russian investigators apprehended Barnes in Moscow, accusing him of abusing his two children years earlier in Texas, according to translations of court documents.

Similar allegations against Barnes were brought to authorities in Texas by his now-ex-wife Svetlana Koptyaeva during their long and acrimonious divorce proceedings. The allegations were investigated in 2018 by the Department of Family and Protective Services, which found insufficient evidence to support them and closed the case without any findings of abuse or any charges against Barnes.

“At this time, there are no accusations out of Montgomery County that we are aware of that would allow Mr. Barnes to be held in custody,” Kelly Blackburn of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office told ABC News in May.

A spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in May that David Barnes had not been charged in any child abuse cases there either.

Representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow have met with David Barnes in the time since his arrest, according to emails between his family and the State Department. However, Brady’s comments mark the first time that an elected official has stated publicly that David Barnes’ detention in Russia is due to “political purposes.”

Carol Barnes is hoping the increased attention on her brother’s situation will motivate other officials to classify him as being wrongfully detained, push for his release or add him to a proposed prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S.

“Washington should be able to get their own American citizens back home without so much red tape and us having to contact hundreds of people and getting 1% response,” Carol Barnes said. “I mean, somebody pay attention.”

In July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a proposal that called on Russia to exchange Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian citizen who was convicted of charges related to illegal arms trafficking. Carol Barnes said she has not heard anything about her brother being part of any potential prisoner exchange.

ABC News asked the White House in July whether it considers David Barnes to be wrongfully detained and if efforts have been made to secure his release, but it referred all questions to the State Department.

“It’s just so frustrating,” Carol Barnes said. “I realize we’re dealing with Russians and it’s not that easy, but I don’t think they’re paying enough attention to it.”

A spokesperson for the State Department wrote in a statement on July 26 that they are continuing to urge the Russian government to allow for regular consular access and services to be provided to Americans who remain detained in Russia.

“We take seriously our responsibility to assist U.S. citizens abroad and are monitoring Mr. Barnes’ situation closely,” the spokesperson said, in part. “The department routinely monitors cases of all U.S. nationals detained abroad for indications that it should be designated as a wrongful detention. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment at this time.”

David Barnes celebrated his 65th birthday in his Moscow detention center in July. His family does not know when they will get to see him again.

“I want him back. I love him. I miss him,” Carol Barnes said. “There’s no joy in my life right now at all.”

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(LONDON) — A passenger flying from Bali, Indonesia, to Darwin, Australia, was fined 2,664 Australian dollars (about $1,846 U.S.) last week after they were caught with two egg and beef sausage McMuffins and a ham croissant upon arrival in Australia.

The meat products were sniffed out by a newly trained biosecurity detector dog named Zinta.

“This will be the most expensive [McDonald’s] meal this passenger ever has, this fine is twice the cost of an airfare to Bali, but I have no sympathy for people who choose to disobey Australia’s strict biosecurity measures, and recent detections show you will be caught,” Murray Watt, the Australian minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, said in a press release.

Australia has strict policies on the importation of food products in its effort to keep foot and mouth disease out of the country. The passenger received the hefty fine after failing to disclose that they had the meat products.

The meal also included some travel-safe hot cakes, according to a picture of the confiscated breakfast.

“Biosecurity is no joke—it helps protect jobs, our farms, food and supports the economy,” Watt said in the press release. “Passengers who choose to travel need to make sure they are fulfilling the conditions to enter Australia, by following all biosecurity measures.”

The seized meat will be tested for foot and mouth disease before it is destroyed.

Zinta is funded by an AU$14 million biosecurity package from the Australian government. The funding went to more biosecurity monitoring at mail centers and airports, including dogs at certain airports.

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(TAIPEI, Taiwan) — U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday despite repeated warnings not to from mainland China, which claims the island democracy as its own territory.

Pelosi and members of a congressional delegation landed at Taipei Songshan Airport in the Taiwanese capital at just after 10:40 p.m. local time as part of her tour of Asia. She visited Singapore on Monday and Malaysia on Tuesday. Her office previously said she would also travel to South Korea and Japan but didn’t mention a stop in Taiwan, until after her plane touched down under the cover of darkness Tuesday night.

“Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,” Pelosi and the delegation said in a joint statement Tuesday. “Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific — including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan — focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”

“Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan — and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances,” they added. “The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.”

Just minutes after Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan was confirmed, China’s largest state-run news agency, Xinhua, announced that live-fire military drills would be held in the airspace and waters surrounding and close to Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.

Beijing considers any official contact with Taiwan a recognition of its democratically elected government, which the mainland’s ruling Communist Party asserts has no right to conduct foreign relations.

Pelosi is the most senior U.S. official to visit Taiwan in a quarter century. Her arrival came on the heels of fiery reactions from Chinese officials amid reports that she was planning such a trip.

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a press briefing on Monday that Beijing “will take firm and strong measures” if Pelosi were to visit Taiwan.

“We want to once again make it clear to the US side that the Chinese side is fully prepared for any eventuality and that the People’s Liberation Army of China will never sit idly by, and we will make resolute response and take strong countermeasures to uphold China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zhao said. “We have on many occasions stated our grave concern and solemn position that we firmly oppose Speaker Pelosi’s attempted visit to Taiwan region, and will take firm and strong measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“The One China principle is what underpins peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he added. “It is the United States that has constantly distorted and hollowed out the One China policy and made irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan question, creating tension across the Strait. The U.S. side lately has begun to stress the need to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country. We hope that the U.S. side should first act as it speaks on the Taiwan question and must not play the double-standard game.”

Under the so-called “One China principle”, Beijing regards Taiwan as their territory, a renegade province to be reunified — by force if necessary — with the mainland. The U.S. has a “One China Policy” recognizing the people of Mainland China and Taiwan being part of “One China,” that Beijing is China’s sole legal government and does not support an independent Taiwan, but considers the matter “unsettled.” Washington is also militarily supportive of the self-governing island and maintains extensive commercial and unofficial ties.

Taiwan split from mainland China in 1949, following a civil war between the Nationalist Party’s forces and those of the Communist Party. As the communists took control of the mainland, the nationalists retreated to the island of Taiwan where they established their new capital.

Both sides agree that they are one country but disagree on which is the national leader. Although they have no formal relations, the island’s economy remains reliant on trade with the mainland.

The U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. The Taiwan Relations Act, which went into force that same year, requires Washington to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Hua Chunying, a senior spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, appeared to dial down the rhetoric on Tuesday before Pelosi’s arrival was officially announced, telling reporters that Beijing and Washington “have maintained close communication.”

“China has repeatedly and unmistakably expressed to the U.S. side our strong opposition to Speaker Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan,” Hua said. “And we hope that two U.S. officials will be very clear about the importance and sensitivity of this issue and how dangerous this issue could be.”

While the Chinese foreign ministry has not yet summoned U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns in protest, Hua noted: “I think when appropriate, we will be in touch with the U.S. ambassador.”

Unlike Zhao, she would not comment on any military response to Pelosi’s visit and deferred the question to a spokesperson for the ruling party’s military, the People’s Liberation Army.

White House spokesperson John Kirby told a press briefing on Monday that Beijing is seemingly laying the groundwork to carry out “military provocations” in response to Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan.

“China appears to be positioning itself to potentially take further steps in the coming days and perhaps over longer time horizons,” Kirby said.

Kirby told reporters that the “potential steps” China may take in response “could include military provocations, such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan, operations that break historical norms such as a large-scale air entry into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone” or “air or naval activities that crossed the median line; military exercises that could be highly publicized.” He said the last time Beijing fired missiles into the Taiwan Strait was in 1996.

There could also be measures taken “in the diplomatic and economic space,” Kirby said, “like Beijing’s public assertions last month that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway.”

When asked what planning was “being done in advance to ensure there won’t be any dangerous fallout if she does indeed go to Taiwan,” Kirby told reporters he could “assure” that Pelosi would be able to “travel safely and securely.”

“The speaker makes her own decisions,” he added. “And what we did was provide her context, analysis, facts, information, so that she could make the best decision possible for every stop, for every overseas travel.”

Kirby cast the escalating tensions as fueled by China, which the U.S. was “not threatening.” He said a potential visit from Pelosi would have precedent and would not “change the status quo” regarding China and Taiwan.

In 1997, then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited Taiwan after meeting with then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Beijing.

But Hua told reporters Tuesday that there would be no “excuse” for a visit by Pelosi.

“The wrong actions of individual U.S. politicians in the past should not set a precedent, much less an excuse for the US to make mistakes on the Taiwan issue,” she said.

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(BIRMINGHAM, England) — Prince William and Kate attended the 2022 Commonwealth Games on Tuesday, bringing along Princess Charlotte on the royal outing.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were photographed alongside their daughter enjoying the festivities while sitting in the stands of Sandwell Aquatics Centre. The trio watched the swimming heats at the facility in Birmingham, England.

The Commonwealth Games are an international, multi-sport event featuring athletes from various nations in the Commonwealth — former territories of the British Empire which recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state — and held every four years, much like the Olympics.

For the family outing, William, 40, wore a pair of off-white pants, a light blue button-up shirt and a dark blue jacket; Kate, 40, wore an all-white pantsuit. Seven-year-old Charlotte opted for a black-and-white horizontal striped dress with a white collar and pigtails.

This year’s 22nd Commonwealth Games kicked off July 28 and run through Aug. 8.

This is the third time England has hosted the event. Previous years include the 1934 London games and the 2002 Manchester festivities.

The U.K. has hosted the Commonwealth Games seven times total.

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(NEW YORK) — Puzzled scientists are trying to figure out what a giant shark native to the Arctic was doing in considerably warmer waters thousands of miles south of its frigid home.

Researchers from Florida International University and the Belize Fisheries Department recently discovered a Greenland shark, which typically lives in the freezing waters of the Arctic, in the tropical waters of the Caribbean Sea while working with local Belizean fishermen to tag tiger sharks, according to a press release from the university.

The shark was swimming near the Belize Barrier Reef, the second-longest barrier reef in the world, the scientists said. The discovery marks the first time a shark of its kind has been found in western Caribbean waters.

Devanshi Kasana, a marine biologist at FIU and a Ph.D. candidate in the university’s Predator Ecology and Conservation lab, at first thought that what she was looking at was a sixgill shark, which is known to live in the deep waters off coral reefs.

“I knew it was something unusual and so did the fishers, who hadn’t ever seen anything quite like it in all their combined years of fishing,” Kasana said in a statement.

Kasana then conferred with her adviser and other shark experts, texting a photo of the creature. The final determination was that it was “definitely” in the sleeper shark family due to its large size, and was most likely a Greenland shark or a hybrid between a Greenland shark and a Pacific sleeper shark, according to FIU.

It is unclear whether the researchers were able to tag the shark.

“This finding is so exciting because it suggests that these ancient predators are potentially roaming the world’s oceans from pole to Equator, but staying very deep in tropical waters,” Kasana, who is still in Belize, said in an emailed statement to ABC News. “It feels great to be a part of this and be a part of what could be the first step in protecting sleeper sharks in this region.”

Little is known about the Greenland shark. The half-blind shark subsists by scavenging on polar bear carcasses and can live up to 250 and perhaps even 500 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, making them the longest-living vertebrate known to science.

Greenland sharks are also massive in size and can reach up to 23 feet long and weigh up to 1.5 tons, according to National Geographic.

“Because little is known about them, that means nothing can be definitively ruled out about the species,” the scientists said. “Greenland sharks could be trolling the depths of the ocean all across the world.”

Greenland sharks, or Somniosus microcephalus, are listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The biggest threats they face are climate change and severe weather, which are causing their habitats to alter and shift, and fishing and harvesting.

Hakarl, fermented Greenland shark or other sleeper sharks, is a national dish of Iceland. Greenland shark meat is poisonous until it is dried and fermented over four or five months, and emits a strong odor and tastes of ammonia.

Kasana emphasized that the discovery of the Greenland shark was a joint effort among members of the Belizean shark fishing community, the Belize Fisheries Department and FIU researchers.

The Belizean government recently declared three atolls, including Glover’s Reef where the Greenland shark was found, and the deeper waters around it as protected areas for sharks. This declaration will help keep animals, including undiscovered ones that may be roaming the waters around Glover’s Reef, safe, Kasana said.

“Great discoveries and conservation can happen when fishermen, scientists and the government work together,” said Beverly Wade, director of the Blue Bond and Finance Permanence Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister of Belize. “We can really enhance what we can do individually, while also doing some great conservation work and making fantastic discoveries, like this one.”

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