Moscow/Kyiv After a drone attack on Russia’s annexed Crimea, Moscow has suspended the agreement to export Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports. The reason for this was the “terrorist attacks” on the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, the Ministry of Defense said in Moscow on Saturday. According to Russian information, a mine clearance ship was damaged in the drone attack early on Saturday morning. Moscow blamed Ukraine for this.
The Ukrainian armed forces had carried out attacks from the air and from the sea against the Russian Black Sea Fleet under cover of the humanitarian corridor for grain exports by ship, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Saturday evening. The infrastructure of the naval base in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula was shot at on Saturday.
In connection with these attacks, which Ukraine carried out under the guidance of British specialists, the Russian side can no longer guarantee the safety of civilian grain ships, the ministry said. Russia can therefore no longer maintain its participation in the agreement concluded through the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations – and is therefore suspending it for an indefinite period.
At the same time, the ministry announced that it would take action together with other Russian authorities against the British specialists involved in the “terrorist attack” in the Black Sea. Britain firmly rejected participation. Ukraine has not confirmed the drone strikes either.
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The Russian Defense Ministry had previously said it had information about British involvement in the explosions on the Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 in September. Russia had repeatedly criticized that it was not involved in the international investigation into the explosions.
Russia has been threatening for weeks with a possible halt to the grain deal and another blockade of the Ukrainian ports because Moscow believes that promises made to Russia have not been kept. Thanks to the agreement, Ukrainian food has been coming onto the world market again since the summer.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Saturday: “Now Moscow is using a false pretense to block the grain corridor that ensures food security for millions of people.” He called on all states to appeal to Russia to honor its commitments to keep.
Despite statements from Moscow, the United Nations has not yet given up hope that the deal will go ahead. “We are in contact with the Russian authorities on this matter,” said a UN spokesman in New York. “It is imperative that all sides refrain from any action that jeopardizes the Grains Agreement, which is a crucial humanitarian effort that is clearly having a positive impact on access to food for millions of people worldwide.”
million tons of grain for the world market
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already complained in the past few days that Russia was blocking the passage of ships laden with grain. Although the war continues to hamper exports, Zelenskyy said recently that Ukraine has exported almost eight million tons of food by sea since the Grains Agreement came into force. 60 percent of the amount went to Africa and Asia.
In July, Russia, mediated by the United Nations and Turkey, agreed to grain exports, but always threatened to scrap the four-month agreement. Moscow has long complained that part of the summer agreement is not being implemented.
In the agreement, Russia agreed to end the blockade of Ukrainian seaports for grain exports, but in return demanded relief for its own exports of fertilizers and food. Russia and Ukraine are both major grain exporters, earning billions from exports.
Regarding the attack in Crimea, the government in Moscow said: “This morning at 4:20 a.m. the Kiev regime carried out a terrorist attack on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet.” A total of 16 drones attacked Sevastopol, but most were intercepted. The minesweeper Ivan Golubez and facilities in a bay were slightly damaged, the Ministry of Defense said. The information could not be independently verified. The government in Kyiv initially did not comment directly on the reports of the attack in Crimea.
Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it wants to recapture Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014. The peninsular city of Sevastopol is important to Moscow as the base of the Black Sea Fleet. The peninsula is also repeatedly shaken by explosions, for which Russia blames Ukraine. Kyiv is mostly silent on this.
On October 8, for example, the Kerch Bridge between Russia and Crimea, which is important for supplying supplies to the Russian invasion troops in Ukraine, was severely damaged by an explosion. After the attack, Russia massively expanded rocket and drone attacks on Ukraine, including on the energy infrastructure.
More: You can read all developments in the Ukraine war in the Newsblog.