Zelenskyy calls Russian leadership “sick” in response to their claims of “killer wheat”
KATERYNA TYSHENKO – SUNDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2022, 22:51
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called the Russians "sick" in response to Kremlin allegations that the unmanned surface vessels (USVs) that attacked Russian ships in Sevastopol on 29 October were launched from a civilian grain bulker being used as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. [The Black Sea Grain Initiative is an agreement brokered by the UN with Russia and Türkiye launched on 22 July to enable ships to transport grain from Ukraine - ed.]
Source: President Zelenskyy’s nightly video address
Quote: "What has the world heard this time? That someone is allegedly launching drones from a grain bulker... Earlier, they talked about weaponised birds, then about weaponised insects, and now they talk about weaponised grain... A killer wheat, which drowns Russian admirals. Well, what can you say? They are truly sick people. But these sick people are once again putting the world on the brink of a severe food crisis."
Details: Zelenskyy emphasised that Russia is the sole culprit of rising food prices across the globe from West Africa to East Asia, and that people in Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia are being left with catastrophic food shortages.
"Of course, partners are trying to convince the terrorist state to slow down the blackmail a little. But is it realistic? So far, the facts indicate that the Russian leadership is more interested in exacerbating the food crisis than in complying with the signed documents. And this, by the way, is the answer to all those who suggest negotiations with Russia," the president said.
Previously: The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has suggested that the USVs that attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet ships on 29 October were launched from aboard a civilian vessel near Odesa, which, the Russian ministry has claimed, was being used as part of the Grain Initiative. They have based these statements on an analysis of the navigation modules of the USVs.
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine, dismissed Russia’s claims as delusional.
Background:
- On 29 October, explosions were reported in the Russian-occupied city of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had attacked Sevastopol using unmanned surface vessels (USVs) at 04:00 on 29 October. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Ivan Golubets minesweeper sustained damage as a result of the attack.
- Later, it became known that at least three ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including the Admiral Makarov flagship, were damaged as a result of the USV attack on 29 October.
- Russian Defence Ministry has accused the British Navy of having planned and carried out "terrorist attacks" on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. The Ministry announced that preparations for the "attack" on Sevastopol were carried out under the guidance of members of the British Navy, who are currently allegedly in the Ukrainian city of Ochakiv.
- The southern defence forces of Ukraine suspect that failed launches of air defence missiles by the Russian occupiers could be a reason for explosions in Sevastopol on Saturday.
- The Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs has announced that Russia was suspending its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative for an indefinite period.
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