Military intelligence: Explosions in Crimea do not violate grain deal terms

Recent explosions at Russian military facilities in the occupied Crimea do not violate the terms of the Black Sea grain deal, spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence Andrii Yusov told Suspilne.

Yusov called Russian claims of Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure and threats to freeze the grain agreement "deceitful manipulation."

"The latest events in Crimea concerned only military facilities and are in no way connected with the grain agreement, which relates to Ukrainian ports and civilian ports when it comes to the Ukrainian-controlled territory," the intelligence official said on April 25.

"Ukraine complies with international obligations, including fulfilling all commitments related to the grain corridor."

On April 25, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of violating the grain agreement by purportedly attacking Russia's fleet in occupied Sevastopol with drones and allegedly deploying them in the humanitarian corridor area.

The ministry said that the alleged drone attack could jeopardize the extension of the grain deal after May 18.

The UN and Turkey-brokered deal, first signed in July 2022, has been paramount in stopping global food prices from soaring. Ukraine's grain exports had been blocked by Russia in the first months of the full-scale invasion before the establishment of the deal.

However, Russia has repeatedly threatened to exit the deal if certain conditions weren't met and blocked cargo ships with Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea.

BBC: US calls UN chief ‘too accommodating’ to Russia, intelligence leak suggests

Leaked intelligence documents suggest the U.S. believed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “too accommodating” to Russia while trying to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the BBC reported on April 13.

Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk