Russia may resort to using mines to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea, the UK government has claimed, citing newly declassified information.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Moscow’s tactics would include laying mines in the approach to Ukrainian ports and laying the blame on Ukraine for any attacks.
The UK has previously warned that the Russian military had attempted a missile strike against a cargo ship in the Black Sea.
“The UK assesses Russia is seeking to target civilian shipping travelling through Ukraine’s ‘humanitarian corridor’ in order to deter the export of Ukrainian grain,” the FCDO said.
“This would continue Russia’s attempts to pressure the Ukrainian economy. Russia almost certainly wants to avoid openly sinking civilian ships, instead falsely laying blame on Ukraine for any attacks against civilian vessels in the Black Sea.”
The FCDO said that by releasing its assessment of this intelligence, it sought to “expose Russia’s tactics to deter any such incident from occurring”.
The FCDO said it is working with Ukraine and other partners to make arrangements to improve shipping safety.
“Our advice to British shipping has not changed. The UK’s maritime security level for Ukrainian ports and waters remains at the highest level due to the threat posed by Russia,” it said.
The UK said it has put “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities” to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea but gave no specific details.
“These capabilities will help us to attribute and call out any further Russian attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure,” the FCDO said.
The UK said it was “committed to ensuring Ukraine can continue to export its agricultural produce through all appropriate routes including its ‘humanitarian corridor’, overland and via the Danube”.
UK foreign secretary James Cleverly said Russia’s pernicious targeting of civilian shipping in the Black Sea demonstrated “Putin’s total disregard for civilian lives and the needs of the world’s most vulnerable”.
“Russia’s latest plans are part of a wider pattern of Russian aggression in the Black Sea. Since July, Russia has systematically targeted Ukrainian port and civilian infrastructure,” he said.
Since the withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the UK claims that Russia has damaged 130 port infrastructure facilities in Odesa, Chornomorsk and Reni and destroyed almost 300,000 tonnes of grain.
“While the UK and our partners continue to do all we can to ensure Ukraine’s exports reach those who need it most, this pattern of deliberately targeted attacks in the Black Sea by Russia demonstrates President Putin’s willingness to weaponise food and innocent trade at the expense of the rest of the world as they block food from reaching world markets,” the FCDO said.
