Britain Warns Russia May Start Targeting Civilian Ships in the Black Sea, There Are Indications of Additional Sea Mines

Illustration of civilian ships while crossing the Black Sea. (Wikimedia Commons/Mostafameraji)

JAKARTA - The UK has information indicating the Russian military may move beyond attacks on Ukraine's grain facilities and start targeting civilian vessels in the Black Sea, says British UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward.

He said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had passed the information on to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a telephone call on Tuesday.

Information from Britain also indicated that Russia had laid additional sea mines near Ukrainian ports, he said.

"We agree with the US assessment that this was a coordinated effort to justify and blame Ukraine for attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea," Woodward told reporters.

The Russian mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Woodward's words.

The White House issued a similar warning last week about possible attacks on civilian ships and sea mines.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will hold successive meetings on Ukraine on Wednesday.

The first meeting, requested by Russia, was to discuss Russia's accusations of Ukrainian "persecution" of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Ukraine accuses the UOC of maintaining ties with the pro-invasion Russian Orthodox Church, but the UOC says it severed ties last year.

The second meeting, requested by Ukraine, will discuss recent Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and ports and "Moscow's efforts to weaponize global food supplies," Woodward said.

Russia last week walked out of a deal allowing safe exports of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea for the past year, saying demands to increase its own exports of food and fertilizer, which were not subject to Western sanctions, had not been met.

Since Russia exited the deal and began attacking Ukraine's food-exporting ports on the Black Sea and Danube Rivers, global wheat and maize futures prices have risen sharply. The United Nations has warned that those most vulnerable will pay the highest price.