By KYIV. July 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative effectively annulled a security agreement that, despite the war, ensured the safe passage of ships exporting grain from Ukraine, according to a report on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Thursday in the morning.
“On July 19, 2023, the Russian MoD [Ministry of Defense] said it would assume all vessels approaching Ukraine were carrying weapons. The Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) will likely now take a more active role in disrupting any trade which continues. However, BSF blockade operations will at risk from Ukrainian uncrewed surface vehicles and coastal defense cruise missiles.
British intelligence believes that Russia probably decided to withdraw from the grain deal some time ago because it decided that the deal no longer served its interests. It is noted that the occupiers disguised their way out of their deal with disinformation that civilian ships were allegedly at risk from Ukrainian mines and that Ukraine used the grain corridor for military purposes, without providing evidence of these statements.
