by Batko Milacic for the Saker blog
Just a few hours after the attack by sea “drones” on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the early morning of October 29, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the suspension of the “grain deal” – an agreement that had been in force since July 22 of this year. The fact that Russian military claims that naval drones have passed through the territory included in the “grain deal”, where there is no Russian fleet – it only made that decision stronger!
The “grain deal” allowed Kyiv to freely export grain from the Black Sea ports under the auspices of the UN, in exchange for some easing of sanctions against Russian exports of grain and fertilizers. Formally, this agreement was strictly humanitarian and its sole purpose was to provide grain to the countries of Africa and Southeast Asia, dependent on food imports. During the passage of the Bosporus, ships traveling from Ukraine and back were examined by UN inspectors to exclude the possible import and export of prohibited goods. But the Kremlin did not receive its benefit from the deal …
Ukraine, having unblocked the export of grain by sea, at the same time was able to unload land communications and receive a significant income from the export of agricultural products. In addition, its Western partners were once again able to resell Ukrainian grain, which, with the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, rose significantly in price. But Russia continued to face difficulties in securing the export of its grain. Western insurance companies, despite official permission, refused to insure cargoes of food and fertilizers from Russian ports under various pretexts.
At the same time, information was increasingly appearing in the media that American and European authorities were putting significant pressure on insurers. Naturally, Moscow was more and more dissatisfied with the terms of the deal concluded before November 19 and doubted the possibility of its extension. The attack on Sevastopol gave the Kremlin a great trump card – the deal was instantly suspended, although the Russian fleet did not suffer significant damage. The military response of Russia also followed very quickly, the communications center and the base of the special forces of the Ukrainian fleet in Ochakiv were destroyed. However, both the attack on the Russian base and the actual breach of the deal with Russian exports are just the tip of the iceberg.
Initially, the purpose of the “grain deal” was to provide grain starving countries and prevent the rapid rise in food prices. Only on September 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin ironically stated that out of 87 ships with grain that left Ukrainian ports in a month and a half from the start of the deal, only 2 reached the really starving countries of Yemen and Djibouti.(1)
But 30 ships delivered grain to the ports of the prosperous countries of European Union, which continues the sanctions war against Russia. So it’s hard to talk about the real humanitarian component of the deal. More importantly, however, Moscow increasingly received reports of clear violations by Ukraine and its allies of the rules of the agreement. Ships sailing to Ukrainian ports brought weapons and ammunition to Kyiv, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine desperately need.
Despite all the activities of the UN inspectors, this is quite possible. Inspection groups check ships in the roadstead of Istanbul, after which those unloaded go to Ukrainian ports, close enough to the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts. Namely, the Arsenal concern is located in Bulgaria, one of the few EU enterprises capable of producing a large range of weapons and ammunition of the Warsaw Pact model, which are mainly used by the Ukrainian army, which is experiencing constant “shell hunger”, because it has stopped its own weapons production since the early 2010s. A small bulk carrier with a deadweight of 20,000 tons is quite capable of taking on board 2,000 tons of military cargo directly into the sea. It is enough to know the schedule of Russian satellites and carry out loading / unloading work at night.
Actually, Ukraine and its Western partners on October 27 even demanded that the Olvia port near Nikolaev be included in the “grain deal”, the uniqueness of which is that it is the only specialized port for the transportation of ammunition in Ukraine.
Against the backdrop of such proposals, an attack by expensive kamikaze maritime drones on the Black Sea Fleet looks quite logical. If it were successful, Russia would have had far fewer opportunities to inspect Ukrainian ships and detain those who violated the deal. However, the Russian sailors did not suffer much damage, but in Moscow they received an excellent reason to completely cut off the source of income and ammunition for Kyiv. But even single violations of the deal allowed Ukraine to save much-needed time for the supply of ammunition and solve complex logistical problems. In addition, a Russian strike on a ship unloading in Olvia or Odessa would have been immediately declared by the West as a “violation” of the grain deal by Moscow. Now this will definitely not happen. But Odessa no longer runs the risk of repeating the fate of the Canadian Halifax, destroyed by the explosion of just one ship with ammunition in 1917.
The Halifax explosion was an accident, not an act of sabotage or war…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion
The recent report of Biden yelling at Zelensky makes me wonder: what does the comedian have on the Biden’s?
May be it’s son hunter biden;-)
@joe6pac
Recall that Zelensky initially offered to assist Giuliani/Trump with the investigation into Biden Family Corruption in Ukraine. That led to one of the D Party impeachment initiatives. The investigation was stonewalled by people loyal to the Democrats in the Ukrainian prosecutors office.
Perhaps Z learned just enough that could be leaked near election time.
But the fact is that Z is bought and paid for by the US State Department and if he steps out of line he could suffer a fatal dose of something that will quickly be identified as Novichok or Polonium.
Oh yeah!
https://bidenlaptopreport.marcopolousa.org/
Biden admitted on television to have extorted/blackmailed then UA President Poroshenko.. If Porkchop didn’t fire the Prosecutor pursuing the Biden’s criminal activities, then Biden would with-hold $100 million in “loans”..
Well, it is a 3-way marriage made in Heaven: Americans, their EU quislings, and the criminal filth of Kiev.. Pathological liars who are agreement incapable.. Russia knows this very well, but must continue to play the game, for public consumption..
It was substantially more than that. It was a $1B US in loans he threatened to withhold.
His son received payments from Burisma of some $3B US and came under investigation.
Starting @:50 he repeats this at least 4 more times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA–dj2-CY
Yes, it was $1B, wasn’t it? $100M sounds like chump-change among such Gentlemen..
Needless to say, the Prosecutor was quickly fired, and VP Biden bragged about it to the US media..
Can’t imagine the Pygmy risking such a gambit, although it is embedded in the Ukranian DNA..
They are arguing over “10% for the Big Guy”, per Hunter’s laptop emails and Bobilinski’s messaging.
Yes, it’s odd, isnt it? There has been a vast amount of money, in the many billions of US $, supposedly fed to Ukraine — yet no-one asks where it is. Where has it gone? Where are the troops, military equipment, support of living, repairs of damages, it is supposed to be paying for?
There is no oversight, remember. That was tried by a few honest concerned members of Congress, but as I recall, it got nowhere.
so – billions of dollars flowing from where to where, and how and why — and no one is asking, who, where, and why?? Because, as far as I can see, it disappears into a black hole never to be seen in any form again.
Same as in the 2nd illegal Iraq invasion; pallets stacked with newly printed dollar notes were flown in. Billions upon billions with little to no public oversight.
And then there is the 2 trillion missing from the pentagon’s accounts that Rumsfield announced the day before the 9/11 false flag….
It is a long gravy train indeed.
The money the Dems always find for elections is ‘dark money’, shoved into PACs and SuperPACs. Dark money gets into every congressman and woman’s election funds (no one audits them) and every senator’s election funds, which make these scum millionaires. Hundreds of slush funds with tens of millions in each.
It is laundered from the funds intended for Kiev but which never gets there.
Hillary, Obama, Biden and all their permanent organizations live off these billions.
President DJ Trump at the time began to “ask questions” as to the disposition of US money being sent there. But he came under heavy criticism from the Clinton Foundation, among other groups and leaders, with their money heavily invested in local “shady business” deals too.
At that time, Trump sent a contingent of 300 US Special Ops to conduct clandestine operations somewhere in Romania. Assumably, very close to the drilling operation that was funneling money through offshore accounts,
Which was also noticed by certain Kyiv journalists.
I have long proposed that the entire Ukraine issue has been a pivotal part of the Wests activities towards the East of Europe, and Russia.
Julien Assange stated that the war in Ukraine was intended to go on for a long time, as it was a money laundering centre for ill gotten gains of US and allies Oligarchs. I also suspected it was largely why the Democrats went all out to keep Trump out of office – they know that with Clinton, Obama etc they are safe – they are as corrupt, and probably have the same lines of illegal monies running through Ukraine as do the International Bankers and their ilk.
Trump is no angel, but I doubt he was ever involved in that scheme, and the Democrats who are soaked in it were afraid of his reaction.
Now, of course, with Hunter Biden known to be receiving Directors income from a company of which he knows nothing, and the record of Biden getting a Ukrainian prosecutor sacked to protect his assets, it seems very very likely that this den of evil thieves all have “kompromat” on each other, to a degree and depth of depravity we would hardly credit.
@Pamela,
Ret. US Colonel Douglas MacGregor said same in this i/view:
October 30 The situation in Ukraine is ugly Ret. US Army Colonel Douglas MacGregor,i/> @24:50
[quote] “That’s one of the most disturbing features of this whole thing, that’s driving at all this desire to continue hostilities with Russia. Well it’s part of it and remember that whenever money passes to the Department of Defense and then from the Department of Defense to the five big defense monsters that constitute the defense industries that there are, quote unquote, donations that go into PAC’s that support the Congressmen and the Senators that are behind the allocation of the money. In other words this is a self-licking ice cream cone in Washington. When you look at the hard cash most of it never leaves the United States, it just changes hands and moves in this sort of circular fashion so that does have a big impact.”
https://youtu.be/4CZ9X9ORC6c
I read that article and others about Biden yelling at Zelensky and figured it was just another propaganda puff piece to deflect attention away from yet another shipment of arms and ammunition. A throw the dog a bone kind of thing.
Most people here are fully aware that the Ukraine has been a parasitic, deadbeat, failed state for decades. Now it’s a parasitic, deadbeat, failed state run by a drug-addicted, cross dressing, midget.
So maybe the long dragged out response of the West is just to launder as much money as they can in the name of Zelensky. Or one of a few plans.
The Republicans have probably ceded two or three Senate seats by not renaming this action “The Burisma War.”
Joe Biden is being blackmailed two ways: one, if he doesn’t feed ZeleneskyY billions of dollars, ZelenskyY will reveal the files stored in Kiev. And if Kiev DOES fall to the Russians, not only would the files be released but Biden himself would be in mortal danger, having called for Putin’s assassination.
The vain hope of Democrats in the US would be for a rushed financing, and even a breakout of hostilities involving NATO, during the lame duck session. RINOs like Romney and Turtle would carry the senate; angry Republicans primaried and defeated in the house would join “Hammerhead” Pelosi.
Ochakiv — I remember that name from a video posted here at The Saker, on the opening day of the SMO last February. It had two different names in that post and on the map, as I recall. The video showed the damage from a missile strike to the seaport there.
There’s more evidence it was Britain:
https://sonar21.com/the-mediocrity-of-british-intelligence-vividly-displayed-in-string-of-terrorist-attacks-against-russia/
When the Nord Stream Pipelines began to blow up, Russian natural gas firm GAZPROM got alarm bells from sensors in the pipeline, indicating the pressure had dropped massively and suddenly. GAZPROM then knew the pipes were ruptured.
The computers at GAZPROM, which recorded the minutes/seconds the sensor alarms went off, all use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) for the time stamps.
Exactly one minute after the alarms went off at GAZPROM, iCloud records of Prime Minister Liz Truss iPhone, show that she used her iPhone to send a text message to Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State. The message: “It’s done.”
The iCloud computers also use Coordinated Universal Time for message time stamps. So although Russia and the UK are in different time zones, UTC proves that it was literally ONE MINUTE after the GAZPROM pressure sensor alarms went off, that Liz Truss sent her text message to Blinken.
No one else knew the pipelines had been blown up. GAZPROM knew there was a problem, but didn’t know what or why.
https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/how-the-russians-found-out-it-was-the-uk-that-bombed-the-nord-stream-pipelines
Liz Truss knew.
Because it was the British government that carried out the bombing.
An act of state terrorism by the actual British Government, against the Russian Federation.
Think about that for a moment. The British Government is now, factually, an actual International Terrorist Organization.
Except when governments do things like this to other countries, it’s not called “Terrorism” — it’s called something else: An act of war.
And that is why Liz Truss is no longer British Prime Minister. Not because she approved the attack . . . but because she texted “It’s done” via insecure text messaging on her iPhone, which the Russians were able to access using Admin privileges through iCloud. And the Russians already have the proof.
Thanks to Liz Truss, the British are caught red-handed, having committed the bombing of pipelines that cost Russia about $15 Billion between the two Nord Stream routes, to construct. The British government did it. The British government is guilty. A bombing of someone else’s critical infrastructure. An act of international terrorism.
The American government knew this plan was in progress. The American government did nothing to stop the crime. Thus, the American government in general, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in particular, are, at the every least, guilty of Misprison of a Felony. At the worst, the American Government and/or Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are guilty as co-conspirators in the crime.
Since there will be no “justice” for, or through, either the British or American governments (they seem to hold themselves above the law) the only alternative Russia has is War.
I’m told, it is coming.
I think its already been here, and the explosion was in retaliation for a loss in some other theater, maybe a financial one, and the target was both Germany and Russia to play each one off on the other and stay invisible and innocent to all, all except the parents.
Misprision of a felony.
I’m fairly certain Putin and the RF only trusts Z and AFU only “as far as he can throw them.”
Asking for ships, possibly loaded ‘to the nuts’ with black market ammo to go to a specific port is like asking the RF to move the 50 worst, despicable Azov prisoners to Yelenovka just before it caught a stray Ukrainian fired, US supplied missile.
So, expecting a cascade of fireworks to light up the entire eastern night sky very soon, would not be an entirely unreasonable expectation.
Some videos for today.
Russian Lancet drone destroys Kiev regime Buk anti-aircraft system:
https://www.bitchute.com/video/KtNmQhymj68n/
Chechen commander issues warning to US “101st Airborne”:
https://www.bitchute.com/video/x73honIgMqAR/
Russian MANPADS shoots down low-flying, Kiev regime Mi-8 helicopter:
https://www.bitchute.com/video/QjkZHK70NL9g/
Russian Su-25 hits enemy targets:
https://rutube.ru/video/75c315c1643ed7216daefedeb7f6021d/
Russia’s multi-role fighters, Su-35S and Su-30SM, in action:
https://rutube.ru/video/189dab0144014d4f29a529c62174eb41/
Russian Ka-52 and Mi-28 fire on enemy positions:
https://rutube.ru/video/15b8f8f497671bb27f9568f353b27ea5/
Kiev regime anti-aircraft system destroyed:
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Nqzgpkm48FnE/
Dear Nate
Thanks A LOT for these videos, they show stuff that is not normally shown in the West and which I would not have the time to look for. So this is very useful, thank you!
Andrei
Yep nate. December1991 bitchute channel is great source. Dont need to sign up to watch either. Compiles dozens of the best Tg channel vids onto one site. Guy has an odyssey channel as well that does mirror with better resolution vids . Fully recommend that to everyone. And i cant believe he has under 2k subs for the work he puts in.
Here is a site I have been visiting in an attempt to visualize the electric grid outages —
https://go.nasa.gov/3WmrW2w
I do not know if this view can be trusted, given the recent level of media manipulation.
But assuming it is legitimate, I have a question — if you zoom in on Kiev, the city does look somewhat darker than it did two months ago. But there are two spots to the east of Kiev which shine more brightly than Kiev at night. One of the spots looks like it might be that airport, at Borispol.
My question is this: is that airport still in business? And if it is closed, why are they polluting the night sky with so much light? And what is the other light spot, distinct from the airport?
Recalled some past headlines regarding the eventual fight for Odessa, which have the largest catacombs on the planet running underneath them.
Army Is Spending Half a Billion to Train Soldiers to Fight Underground
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/06/24/army-spending-half-billion-train-troops-fight-underground.html
THE ELEPHANT IN THE TUNNEL: PREPARING TO FIGHT AND WIN UNDERGROUND
https://mwi.usma.edu/elephant-tunnel-preparing-fight-win-underground/
“We’ve never had to deal with a subterranean layer in a major city like the subways under New York City or London, the catacombs and quarries under Paris and Rome, or the PATHS network under Toronto, all daunting threat environments.”
20th CBRNE Soldiers take EDRE underground
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/395101/20th-cbrne-soldiers-take-edre-underground
“Crestwood’s subterranean facility, with its catacombs of limestone, provided a real-world training environment, as Soldiers with TF 110, at times, had to move and communicate in complete darkness to accomplish their mission objectives.”
What is Odessa catacombs? History
https://leodessa.com/odessa-catacombs/
“In the end of 18 century, Russian empire conquered the land, that today is southern part of Ukraine. Immediately after the war, empire created a city called Odessa. To build the city, people used wide layers of limestone underground. As a result, appeared largest underground labyrinth, which lately named – Odessa catacombs.”
*Just as a disclaimer I don’t wish any further American or “western” deaths nor anymore “Eastern/Eurasian” deaths. Just thought this may be relevant regarding Odessa. If there are any non-demonic rational actors left in the US then negotiating is obviously the only way not to lose anymore lives in this matter.
Tunnels are over rated, flood them, pump tear gas into them…..and if it’s a major infestation, thermobarics will suck the living air right out of them.
Cheers M
Thousands of “trained” USer militants stumbling around in the dark! How could it possibly go wrong?
I wonder is Zelensky has considered what happens to America’s ‘friends’ when they are no longer needed.
If he did, he would have realised that he is a dead man walking.
Probably already taking acting lessons for government in exile.
Instructive article, thanks. Now I understand why the Russians left the grain deal.
Nebenzya at UN said last night Russia will independantly inspect every ship going to Ukraine ports….. and Shipping insurance companies said will also not be insuring shipping leaving such ports.
Russia will be resuming its participation in the Black Sea grain export agreement after receiving written guarantees from the Ukrainian side not to use humanitarian corridors and ports involved in the grain deal for military operations against Russia, the Defense Ministry has announced.
Russian Fed. says guarantees seem to be sufficient at the moment.
via sputniknews
🇹🇷🇺🇦🇷🇺 Turkey will force Ukraine to comply with the deal
Russia has resumed participation in the grain deal under Ukraine’s written guarantees not to use the gum corridor for military purposes. The dialogue between the defense ministers of Turkey and Russia remained out of the discussion. There is speculation that Turkey has assumed the role of guarantor of Ukraine’s compliance with its commitments.
If Ukraine violates its part of the guarantees, Turkey will have to completely close the passage of ships to and from Ukrainian ports. Whether at all or temporarily will depend on the situation and the severity of the issue. Otherwise, Russia will permanently block the deal.
He broke all the rules,
fell into the pools,
broke all his tools,
and looks like his fools.
Insisting on allowing Ukraine to export commodities while blocking Russian exports reminds me of the Iran/Iraq war. To this day, the Tom Cotton types praise how the virtuous U.S. was protecting sea lanes as evil Iran bombed our ships and Gulf State tankers.
Calling our Persian Gulf actions, ‘freedom of navigation’ is obscene. True freedom of navigation is supposed to be neutral otherwise it is just a blockade. The U.S. navy protected Iraq oil exports but did not do the same for Iranian oil tankers. Had the U.S. protected all tanker traffic, including that of Iran, then it would have been an example of FON. I do not expect Tom Cotton to understand this because he is void of empathy, he is incapable of seeing things from someone else’s situation.
Per this news item on TASS, Russia has agreed to re-join the grain deal, from which they had pulled out following the attack on Sevastopol. The report does not mention on whether anything was done to assuage Russia’s concerns related to the use of the grain corridor for the attack.
IMO, Russia could have successfully imposed tough conditions on, and extracted significant concessions/ undertakings from, all parties involved in the grain deal before agreeing to join back. Most of the grain was going to Europe, and it is not like the neediest countries are getting any.
Disappointed that Russia blew that chance, with the possibility that the terrorists will feel further encouraged to attempt more attacks like this on Crimea.
Per this news item on TASS, Russia has agreed to re-join the grain deal, from which they had pulled out following the attack on Sevastopol. The report does not seem to mention anything on whether anything was done to assuage Russia’s concerns related to the use of the grain corridor for the attack.
IMO, Russia could have successfully imposed tough conditions on, and extracted significant concessions/ undertakings from, all parties involved in the grain deal before agreeing to join back. Most of the grain was going to Europe, and it is not like the neediest countries are getting any.
Disappointed that Russia blew that chance, with the possibility that the terrorists will feel further encouraged to attempt more attacks like this on Crimea.