A first convoy consisting of eight Ukrainian vehicles set out on Tuesday, January 19, to deliver goods to Kazakhstan via Russia, Ukrainian Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister and Ukraine's Trade Representative Nataliya Mykolska said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"From January 11, all transit vehicles are redirected via Belarus. When they get to Russia's territory, they have to wait. They have been standing waiting for [the formation of] a convoy, the Glonass system and identification seals. Now, the first eight cars have set out with a convoy across Russia's territory. We're monitoring them to see whether our cars could move farther and whether they reach their destination, having crossed the Russian border with Kazakhstan," she said.

In her words, the convoy rate is $350 per vehicle, and there are about 7-8 Ukrainian vehicles in the convoy. According to preliminary information from exporters, such convoys will be dispatched every day, she said.

"What is important is that Russia continues to invent obstacles to our exports, as they've put forward new requirements, saying that Ukrainian drivers in Ukrainian cars could get to Russia's territory only through direct checkpoints rather than those located in Belarus. Which means that when our drivers get to Belarus and then they want to enter Russia, they are refused entry into Russia, which offers Russian drivers instead," Mykolska said.

In her words, new facts of the confirmation of Russian aggression appear every day.

She also said that she was informed on January 18 that Russia had sent 197 railway cars back to Ukraine, of them 129 cars were redirected back via Belarus, and 21 cars have been waiting for further notice.

On January 1, Russia's government introduced limitations on transit shipments of Ukrainian freight from Ukraine to Kazakhstan via Russian territory: freight should be transported via Belarus and only two checkpoints at the Belarus-Russia border and three checkpoints at the Russia-Kazakhstan border are authorized to handle such freight.

The limitations were introduced after Russia repealed the free trade regime with Ukraine in 2016 and imposed a food embargo on Ukraine. In response to this, the Ukrainian authorities introduced retaliatory measures.