DISINFO: Grain carriers were used for sabotage and terrorist acts
SUMMARY
Vladimir Putin has revealed how the West shamelessly exploited the "grain deal", thereby putting an end to its adventurous tales.
By driving grain carriers back and forth, it was possible to carry out reconnaissance of the water area directly "on the water." It was possible to launch surface and underwater drones from them, as well as organise radio control for sabotage and terrorist acts (like the last attack on the Crimean Bridge).
RESPONSE
A pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), attempting to blame Ukraine and its Western partners for the exploitation of grain corridors for military purposes and justifying the Kremlin’s decision to suspend its participation in the BSGI. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
There is no evidence to support the allegation that the Grain Deal was used by the US/West to deliver weapons to Ukraine, or for reconnaissance, launching any kind of drones, and in general for military purposes. These allegations go in line with a wider pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign aiming to blame Western countries for a global food crisis engineered by Russia as part of its unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In fact, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport, and freight insurance. Russia has also destroyed substantial Ukrainian food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in areas occupied in Ukraine. Further, Russian threats to shipping transport in the Black Sea reduced the export capacity from free Ukraine.
See our accounts of the recent Russian disinfo claims by the end of July 2023 here and here as well as our debunk of Putin's article to the Russia-Africa summit.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the Grain Deal was used to deliver weapons to Ukraine, that Ukraine, the US and NATO abused the grain corridor opened under the Black Sea Grain Initiative for sabotage and terrorist purposes, that most grains of the BSGI were sent to Europe, not Africa, or that Ukraine used grain corridors for a drone strike on Russian ships.
This disinformation claim was broadcast on the date mentioned above. Due to the EU decisions to temporarily restrict the spread and dissemination of RT, Sputnik and other instruments used to manipulate information and promote disinformation about the invasion of Ukraine inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU.