Russia has announced that it will suspend its participation in the UN-sponsored agreement that allows Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports.
The announcement comes after Moscow accused Kiev of launching a major attack on the Russian fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
Ukraine, in turn, accused Russia of “fabricating a terrorist attack”.
Russia also accused British forces of participating in the attack that took place today, along with the bombing of two pipelines last month, without providing evidence for these allegations.
The British Defense Ministry commented on the allegations saying that Russia’s speech contained “massively false allegations”.
Russia’s defense ministry said drones targeted ships that were participating in the implementation of the grain export agreement today.
Then, hours later, a statement was released by the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow stating: “In response to what Ukrainian forces under the leadership of British experts had done by targeting Russian ships that were working on the implementation of the agreement on humanitarian corridors, the side cannot guarantee the safety of civilian merchant ships participating in the Sea Initiative agreement. “Black. It will also be suspended from today and for an unknown period”.
A UN spokesperson said the international organization, which jointly sponsored the agreement with Turkey, is communicating with Moscow, stressing the importance that “all parties refrain from taking any action that could jeopardize the ‘Black Sea Agreement, an agreement of great humanitarian significance and the conclusion of which has had a positive impact on food delivery. ” to millions of people around the world.
The deal allowed Ukraine to resume grain exports through Black Sea ports after a period of suspension due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The UN Secretary-General participated personally in the negotiations that preceded the agreement, which was considered a major diplomatic victory
However, Russia has complained that its grain exports are still affected and previously hinted that it may not renew the deal.
photo released, Reuters
Kiev recently accused Moscow of deliberately disrupting the movement of ships.
The attack, which took place today, Saturday, comes at a time when Ukrainian forces manage to regain control of several areas from the grip of Russian forces, which they had controlled since the invasion began on February 24.
Russia responded by launching large-scale attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, especially energy sector facilities.
In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, which has symbolic significance for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Crimea has been the subject of several attacks in recent weeks.
Sevastopol is the largest city in the region as well as being the headquarters of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.
Mikhail Razvozenev, head of the Moscow administration in Crimea, called today’s attack “the most violent” since last February.
The pro-Russian official stressed that all the drones were shot down, causing no casualties or damage to infrastructure.
The Ukrainian government rarely comments on the statements made by the pro-Russian administration in Crimea, but Ukrainian officials sometimes express joy at the attacks in Crimea.
Ukraine has promised to regain control of all Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea, which is a strategic corridor for the transfer of Russian troops to Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry accused British experts of supporting Ukrainian forces in preparing for today’s attacks, without providing any evidence for the allegations.
Moscow also said that this unit of British experts “has been involved in the planning, organization and execution of terrorist attacks that targeted the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 lines in the Baltic Sea last month”.
In response to the Russian allegations, the British Defense Ministry said that Russia “in an attempt to draw attention to its disastrous response to the illegal invasion of Russia, has resorted to the promotion of false accusations on an epic scale”.
London added that “this made-up story reveals more about what is happening inside the Russian government than about the West.”
France also said it did not believe the Russian allegations.
