Yesterday Ukraine committed another terrorist act - an attack on the Crimean bridge. As a result, one of its flights was seriously damaged, a married couple died. Their young daughter was in intensive care with serious injuries.
Almost simultaneously, Russia pulled out of a grain deal that officials admitted was unprofitable because of a systematic disregard for the interests of the Russian side. Two events - the terrorist attack and the rhetoric around the grain deal, are obviously connected, albeit not directly.
How Russia will react and what awaits the so-called. "Black Sea initiative" to export grain from Ukrainian ports - in the material of the correspondent of The Moscow Post.
The attack on the Crimean bridge had a negative, but not at all stunning impact on Russian society. Why this happened after strengthening all security measures following the results of last year's terrorist attack - let the country's top military-political leadership understand.
At the end of the day, President Vladimir Putin held meetings with key responsible persons, where he gave orders for repair work, and spoke about the attitude to the situation of the Russian state.
The demolition of the bridge is a "brutal" attack, since civilians were injured, and moreover "senseless from a military point of view," since the bridge "has not been used for military transportation for a long time," Putin said. He assured that the answer to this outrageous terrorist action will definitely be, the military will present him with appropriate proposals.
Actually, no one doubted this. And that the bridge is not of military importance in the current realities, and that Russia will not leave it unpunished. The motives for such an attack are also clear. It is, first of all, informational and psychological in nature. Its task is to show the Russian society that the authorities allegedly cannot protect even their key infrastructure facilities.
At the same time, it is obvious to everyone that the attack was planned and coordinated by Ukraine together with its Western curators, using their equipment, explored and logistical capabilities.
The White House has already said that they do not know "which of the parties to the conflict" may be involved in this terrorist attack. This is a kind of cynical and veiled sincere confession. Everyone knows perfectly well who is behind this, so we will specially "turn on the fool" and "let the fog go" - a banal attempt to "play" the Russian Federation in the information space.
The motives of the Ukrainian authorities are generally clear. A month and a half after the start of the "counteroffensive" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zaporozhye, their units with the reserves involved could not even reach the first line of our defense. And under the Kremennaya Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, they went on the offensive altogether, which was forced to recognize the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar.
Against this background, the NATO summit in Vilnius turned out to be a failure for Ukraine, at which the result was expected from the Armed Forces of Ukraine - a breakthrough to the Azov and Black Sea coasts. But it didn't happen. Therefore, the functionaries of the 95th quarter resorted to the old unkind tactics: to show the people and the Western partners who lost faith in them another show with victims among civilians.
Thus, Ukrainian officials and their Western PR people are trying to overcome the frustration of society from unsuccessful hostilities and diplomatic defeat in Vilnius.
Another goal is to evoke the toughest possible response from Russia, which could be "sold" to Western curators as an escalation of the conflict, in the hope of speeding up the supply of weapons and ammunition. But Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that no one intends to thoughtlessly "press buttons".
Grain has nothing to do with it
No less interesting is the alleged connection of the terrorist attack with the termination of the grain transaction. The date also coincided - July 17. Now various near-political commentators claim that the terrorist attack allegedly influenced Russia's decision to withdraw from the deal.
However, this was announced in advance - the Russian side was not going to extend it, especially after the re-election of Recep Erdogan as President of Turkey. Not to mention the fact that the Russian part of the deal was not executed, and the so-called "grain corridor" was not used for attacks by Sevastopol. By the way, the current drones that attacked the bridge, apparently, came from that side.
A day or two before the terrorist attack, Vladimir Putin said so directly: first, the fulfillment of the conditions of the Russian Federation, and only then the extension of the deal.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said the same yesterday. According to her, the "Black Sea Initiative" was launched literally a week after signing. However, in opposition to the declared humanitarian goals, the export of Ukrainian food was almost immediately transferred to a purely commercial basis and until the last moment was aimed at servicing the narrow-minded interests of Kyiv and its Western curators.
As for the Russia-UN Memorandum, it never actually worked. In Washington, Brussels and London, they continued to "stamp" their restrictions. As a result, Russian bank payments, insurance and transport logistics, supplies of spare parts and foreign assets were completely blocked, Zakharova emphasized.
The actions of Western countries look even more cynical against the background of the fact that most of the agricultural products did not fall into the poorest countries at all. But she went, for example, to the Netherlands. And all anti-Russian rhetoric on this issue remains even against the background of the fact that the Russian Federation, on its own initiative, decided to supply grain in significant volumes to the poorest countries in the world for free.
Of course, Russia is accused of using food as a weapon. An inverted world that is not presented to the comprehension of a normal person.
The most interesting thing is what will happen next. The Russian Federation withdrew security guarantees. But Ukraine, represented by Volodymyr Zelensky, said that it was negotiating with shipping companies on a separate basis in order to continue the export of grain.
The terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge is a loud, but senseless action from a military point of view. Photo: https://absoluttv.ru/17867-terakt-na-krymskom-mostu-proizvel-snova-nacistskij-kiev-nochju-17-ijulja-2023-goda-poslednie-novosti.html
And here Russia was not in the simplest position. Much will depend on the actions of our "sworn partner," Turkish President Recep Erdogan. After all, the Turkish Navy also acted as a guarantor of the safety of ships. And here Russia will have to either close the corridor with military-technical means.
I would like to think that the Russian leadership, leaving the deal, worked out a plan for further action. However, continuing to fulfill its conditions on a unilateral basis will entail even greater political and image costs.