West, Russia clash at UN Counter-terror committee meet

Story by  IANS | Posted by  shaista fatima | Date 30-10-2022
A representational image
A representational image

 

New Delhi

Russia and the West on Saturday clashed at the United Nations Security Council Counter-terror committee (UN CTC) meeting in New Delhi over the drone attack on Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

Ukraine carried out a "massive" drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, damaging one warship, said Russia. The Russian delegation at UN CTC said that the "Sevastopol terror attack" was "concocted by a British Civil engineer" and slammed the West.

"At 4:20 am today, the Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack on Black Sea Fleet ships and civilian vessels on the outer and inner raids of the Sevastopol basing points. The attack involved 9 unmanned aerial vehicles and 7 autonomous marine unmanned aerial vehicles," said Russian Ministry of Defence in a video.

The Russian MoD blamed British specialists for training the Ukrainian military to prepare them for today's attack on Sevastopol. They added that the same specialists were guilty of explosions on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. "As a result of the operational measures taken by the Black Sea Fleet forces, all the aerial targets were neutralized. While repelling a terrorist attack on the outer raid of Sevastopol, the Black Sea Fleet's naval aviation and shipborne weapons destroyed 4 unmanned aerial vehicles and 3 more were destroyed on the inner raid," added Russian MoD.

The Ivan Golubets minesweeper and a bombing net in Yuzhnaya Bay suffered minor damage. It should be stressed that the Black Sea Fleet vessels that suffered the terrorist attack are involved in ensuring the security of the grain corridor as part of the international initiative to export agricultural products from Ukrainian ports, added the video.

The Russian MoD said that the preparation for this terrorist act and training of military personnel of the Ukrainian 73rd Special Operations Centre Marine Unit was carried out under the guidance of British specialists who were in the city of Ochakiv, Mykolaiv region, Ukraine.

"According to available information, representatives of this unit in the British Navy took part in the planning, ensuring the implementation of the terrorist act in the Baltic Sea on September 26 this year to undermine the gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2", added the video. Meanwhile, the British delegation hit back at Russia at the Delhi counter-terror panel meet and said 'Russia alone can end the violence in Ukraine.'

"To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale. This invented story, says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the West," tweeted UK Ministry of Defence. Meanwhile, Russia suspended participation in UN-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine viewed as key to addressing the global food shortage, according to the country's defence ministry.

Russia will suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol, the country's defence ministry announced Saturday.

"Taking into account the act of terrorism committed by the Kyiv regime with the participation of British experts on October 29 this year against the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civil vessels involved in the security of the 'grain corridor,' the Russian side suspends its participation in the implementation of the agreements on the export of agricultural products from the Ukrainian ports," the Russian MoD said in a statement.

In July, following months of negotiations, ministers from both Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey. Russia pledged to unblock ports on the Black Sea to allow the safe passage of grain and oilseeds - some of Ukraine's most important exports. Earlier this month, Russia's ambassador to the UN said the country could potentially leave its grain deal with Ukraine, according to Reuters. Putin weighed in, too, saying Moscow would shut the export corridors if they are used to carry out "terrorist attacks."

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The World Food Programme estimated that tens of million people moved into a stage of acute hunger as a consequence of the Ukraine war, and Western officials have accused Russia of using food as a weapon during its invasion. The attack comes as Ukrainian troops successfully retake territory occupied by Russian troops since they launched their invasion on 24 February.

Russia has replied by launching large-scale attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, particularly on the country's energy grid. Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 and is extremely symbolic for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In recent weeks, several attacks have hit the peninsula, where the Russian army has built up a large presence. Sevastopol is the largest city in the region and home to Russia's Black Sea fleet.