Russia-Ukraine updates: Russian missiles hit close to nuclear reactors: IAEA director

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

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.

-ABC News' Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd, Max Uzol and Fidel Pavlenko

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

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