The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has announced that Russia is resuming the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was suspended after the explosions in Sevastopol.

The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that Russia has received "written guarantees" from Ukraine that the grain corridor will not be used for military operations against the Russian Federation, reports Kremlin-aligned news outlet RIA Novosti, citing Bloomberg News.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated in Ankara that shipments via Ukraine’s grain corridor will resume on the afternoon of 2 November, "as before". 

According to Erdoğan, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu called his Turkish counterpart to inform him of the start of operations.

Previously, Russia announced the suspension of its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative after the attack on vessels of the Black Sea Fleet in occupied Sevastopol (Crimea). The UN then stated that all agreements remained in force, and inspectors of the organisation would carry on checking the ships. 

The very next day [31 October], Putin began to hint that the Russian Federation was prepared to return to the agreement.

Read more Re-Launching Grain Deal. How to Save Ukraine's Black Sea Exports after Russia's Demarche.