Russia is going to mine the grain corridor on the approach to Ukrainian ports – British intelligence

UK intelligence suggests that Russia may mine the grain corridor with sea mines to target civilian vessels in the Black Sea. It intends to hold Ukraine responsible for any attacks.

Declassified information shows that Russia may continue to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea, including by laying sea mines on the approaches to Ukrainian ports. Earlier, the United Kingdom warned that the Russian military had attempted a missile attack on a cargo ship in the Black Sea, according to a statement on the Ministry of Defense website.

“The UK believes that Russia is trying to target civilian vessels passing through the Ukrainian ‘humanitarian corridor’ to deter Ukrainian grain exports. This will continue Russia’s attempts to put pressure on the Ukrainian economy. Russia almost certainly wants to avoid openly sinking civilian vessels, instead falsely accusing Ukraine of any attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea,” the statement said.

The British noted that by publishing this report, they aim to expose Russia’s tactics and prevent its plans.

“Russia’s pernicious targeting of civilian shipping in the Black Sea demonstrates Putin’s complete disregard for civilian life and the needs of the world’s most vulnerable. The world is watching – and we see through Russia’s cynical attempts to blame Ukraine for its attacks. We and our allies stand together against Putin and his attempts to harm Ukraine and thus the rest of the world,” commented British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

As a reminder, on July 17, Russia unilaterally terminated the grain deal it had concluded with Turkey and the UN. After that, it began to deliberately hit the grain storage facilities and port infrastructure of Odesa region, which had previously been used for agricultural exports. With these actions, Russia has once again jeopardized food security.

No agreement has been reached with Russia on the restoration of the grain corridor. Since August, Ukraine has been using an alternative corridor, which has a much lower throughput capacity than during the grain agreement. However, it still managed to export 50,000 tons of products during this time.

Tags: Russia, war