Ukraine drone attack: Ukraine was testing Russia. It assumed Russia can be pushed over. It misunderstood Russia’s soft-stance till now and now Europe would face the ramifications of Ukraine’s mistakes. Boneheaded Zelensky has brought the tragedy of Ukraine to Europe and is now exacerbating it.
Zelensky is drunk on the euphoria of victory. On several occasions, he has emphasised that the Ukraine war would end when Kyiv would reclaim Crimea. But neither does Ukraine has the military power to accomplish that goal nor the bandwidth for it.
But, Zelensky doesn’t deal in realism, he lives in fantasy.
Ukraine drone attack on Crimea
Russia has alleged that Ukraine damaged one warship in a “massive” drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Black Sea Fleet was attacked by 16 drones by Ukraine near Sevastopol in the early hours of Saturday. Russian officials claimed that British troops were complicit in the attack. They have also blamed British Navy for sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine was very symbolic. It became a symbol of Russia’s and Putin’s power. The peninsula, where the Russian army has established a sizable presence, has been the target of many attacks in recent weeks. It is important to note that the major city in the Crimean peninsula and the base for Russia’s Black Sea fleet is Sevastopol.
This wasn’t the first such Ukrainian attack on Crimea. A few weeks ago, Ukraine did a bomb attack on the Crimean bridge. And as everyone is aware, the attack on it marked a dramatic shift in war politics.
Also Read: Ukraine finally realizes attacking the Crimean bridge was a fatal mistake
Russia halts Ukrainian grain deal
In response to the attack, Russia on Saturday withdrew from a Black Sea grain deal that had been mediated by the U.N. With only minor damage to a minesweeper, Russia claimed to have withstood the attack firmly. However, the ships targeted were crucial to maintaining the grain route out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. As a reaction, the defence ministry said in a statement, “The Russian side suspends participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports.”
More than 9 million tonnes of corn, wheat, sunflower products, barley, rapeseed, and soya have been shipped from Ukraine since Russia and Ukraine signed the U.N.-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative in Turkey on July 22.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, which used UN data and ship tracking information, at least 38% of the grain exported from Ukraine under the terms of the arrangement mediated by the UN is sent to the EU rather than the developing and poorer nations in Africa for whom it was meant. Clearly, in the name of alleviating poverty and hunger, Europeans filled their own stomachs on the cost of poorer nations. The deal has sparked controversy among the European farmers too as it left them disadvantaged.
To support Ukraine, the European Union eliminated tariffs and export quotas to encourage exports through the bloc. Farmers in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Belgium and France protested against the move of what they perceive to be an influx of cheap Ukrainian grain and poultry that drives down local prices and competes for space at nearby ports.
Putin had also alleged that the deal was a farce and not enough grain was going to poorer nations. Turkish President Erdogan had also affirmed Putin’s allegations. Clearly, it was only Europe which was benefiting from the Black Sea grain deal.
But after the Ukraine drone attack on Crimea, the retaliation by Russia to suspend the deal will only exacerbate Europe’s miseries. The drone attack by Ukraine was meant to be on Crimea but with hindsight, it’s a food bomb which Zelensky has dropped on Europe.
