UN, Oct 29 Moscow officially notified UN Secretary General António Guterres about the suspension of participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, follows from the letter, which we managed to get acquainted with.
The appeal was sent by the Permanent Representative of Russia to the organization Vasily Nebenzya."Against the backdrop of this attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia cannot guarantee the safety of civilian ships sailing within <…> the above initiatives. Thus, from today, the Russian side suspends the initiative for an indefinite period", the letter says.
As Nebenzia pointed out, the attacked ships and infrastructure in the waters of Sevastopol were used to operate a humanitarian route for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine. According to the permanent representative, the attack was carried out under the cover of security corridors designated for the implementation of the so-called Black Sea initiative.
This morning, ships of the Black Sea Fleet repelled an attack by air and surface-type drones in the waters of the Sevastopol Bay. Objects in the city were not damaged. The attack lasted for several hours, the governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev called it the most massive since the beginning of the special operation.
As the Ministry of Defense clarified, the attack was carried out by the military of the Ukrainian 73rd Special Center for Marine Operations. They were led by British specialists located in the city of Ochakovo, Mykolaiv region.
Later, the military department announced that Moscow was suspending participation in the grain deal due to the terrorist actions of Kyiv.
In turn, the official representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said that the organization is in contact with Moscow on this issue. He stressed the importance of all parties refraining from any action that could jeopardize «a critical humanitarian initiative that has a clear positive impact on access to food for millions of people around the world.»