Russia mines approaches to Ukrainian ports and can attack civilian ships 

This was stated by the US Chargé d'Affaires to the OSCE Catherine Brooker during a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Russian missile terror against Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

According to her, last week, the United States informed the world that Russia plans to increase attacks on Ukrainian grain facilities and Russia has done exactly that. She said that the US is concerned that Russia might attack civilian ships in the Black Sea and their information suggests that Russia has placed more sea mines near Ukrainian ports.

The US believes that Russia is deliberately doing this to have a reason to attack civilian vessels in the Black Sea and then escalate the conflict and shift blame onto Ukraine for their deceitful actions. 

In her speech, the US representative strongly condemned Russia's attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain export infrastructure, which have intensified after Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative—a crucial program for global food security.

Brooker also expressed her condemnation of the rocket attack on Odesa's center and the damage to 29 historical monuments, including the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is under the Moscow Patriarchate, the same church that Russia claims to protect.

Russia's termination of the grain deal

On July 16, the last ship loaded with Ukrainian agricultural products under the initiative left the port of Odesa. On 17 July, Russia announced the termination of the grain deal. In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was necessary to continue using the grain corridor even despite Russia's withdrawal from the agreement. And Kuleba began urgent consultations at the UN.

The White House condemned Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal, which played a crucial role in reducing global food prices.

On 18 July, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were "certain risks" for parties trying to resume the Black Sea Grain Initiative without Russia's participation.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that it was critical to restore transport links across the Black Sea to provide food to the world's most vulnerable countries and to preserve the ability to export Ukrainian goods.

On 19 July, it was reported that Ukraine was considering transporting food as part of the grain initiative through the territorial waters of Bulgaria and neighbouring Romania.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defence issued a statement threatening ships heading to Ukraine's Black Sea ports. On the same day, Putin named the conditions for Russia's return to the grain deal and demanded their immediate implementation

The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that the only response to Russia's threats to fire on Ukrainian grain ships could be to increase military aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced that starting July 21, all ships heading to the Black Sea in the direction of Russian seaports and Ukrainian ports in the temporarily occupied territory may be treated by Ukraine as military cargo.

On July 21, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wanted to discuss the extension of the grain deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and expressed confidence that it will work again.

The same day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed hope that Turkey will help bring Russia back to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which it disrupted earlier in the week.

On July 25, Ukrainian intelligence published a report to the leadership of the Russian Federation that mentioned technologies used to prevent the export of grain from Ukraine, which indicates a purposeful disruption of the grain deal. 

On the same day, the US State Department announced that Russia was preparing a  false flag operation in international waters of the Black Sea.