UN experts informally support Russia in the war with Ukraine, but are forced to ignore Moscow's real evidence in order not to upset the West, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.
Propaganda: The UN is aware of the fact that Ukraine endangers global food security but there is nothing it can do about it
NEWS: When discussing Ukraine, despite a very large amount of evidence provided by Russia, UN officials do not consider it, saying that it must be verified first, and when it comes to information provided by the US or Ukraine, they all take it as an indisputable truth […].
In this context, Ukraine's fault for grain export agreements not being extended is obvious. Russia was forced to leave these agreements because none of its conditions were met, while only Ukrainian grain exports are being discussed.
Our UN colleagues understand the situation very well, […] but they cannot influence the western states. Russia has provided the UN with a series of evidence regarding the violation of the Russia-UN agreement and Kyiv's abandonment of this initiative, but the Western leaders’ discourse remains the same: Russia is accused of endangering food security, but for no reason.
NARRATIVE: The UN admits that Ukraine, not Russia, endangers global food security
Reality: Russia bombs Ukrainian port infrastructure and silos, endangering global food security
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: In order to convince the public in the former Soviet states that Ukraine, not Russia, is blocking grain exports and endangering global food security, pro-Kremlin propaganda accuses the UN of being biased towards the Kremlin and for ideologically sympathizing with the West. According to the narrative promoted by the Russian media, UN experts are beginning to understand that Russia is not at fault either with regard to the war or grain exports, but they cannot do anything about it, as they are afraid of upsetting the West, especially the US, which would dictate the rules at the level of the governing bodies of the United Nations. This finding is not based on any evidence, but only on a statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, Dmitry Polyanski, who has allegedly observed these "realities" over the last years. At a press conference in Moscow, he accused the UN of not taking into account Russia’s arguments and evidence , which contradict the purely ideological statements made by the US and Ukraine.
Starting from that statement, the pro-Kremlin propaganda moves to the topic of food security, accusing Ukraine of blocking the export of grain through the Black Sea. Russia's withdrawal from the grain export agreement is justified by the fact that the West and Ukraine rejected Moscow's demands. The West and, in particular, Ukraine, endanger global food security, the Russian press writes, adding that the UN knows this, but no one can do anything about it.
In reality, the UN has a number of councils and departments that analyze the situation around the globe and provide expertise to both the General Assembly and the Security Council during decision-making. The UN is not based on any particular ideology or political sympathy, as the Russian press writes, but it grounds its opinions in real evidence and information.
In July this year, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres insisted that Russia renew the grain transport agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey so that Ukrainian grain can be shipped again from Black Sea ports . The UN has later admitted that it is Russia that is endangering world food security, and not Ukraine, as the Russian media claim.
The international community has criticized Russia's move to withdraw from the agreement, and the EU has unequivocally condemned Moscow's decision to end the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative – including the withdrawal of Russian security guarantees for navigation. In March this year, Ukraine called on the international community to pressure Russia and have the agreements extended, but Moscow accused the West of blocking its fertilizer exports. NATO and a number of European states have also accused Russia of endangering global food security.
The Moscow press does not mention anything about the missile and drone bombardment on the Black Sea or Danube ports by the Russian armed forces. In August, Russia began bombing not only the Ukrainian ports of Reni, Ismail or Chilia, but also grain silos. For example, in one night, Russian drones destroyed more than 13 thousand tons of Ukrainian grains in Ismail , which had been stored in a silo for export. Russia's actions have been called "food terrorism" by the Ukrainian authorities. Romania, and other EU states have condemned Moscow’s actions, which endanger food security .
According to a Forbes analysis, by mid-September, Russia had destroyed more than 280 thousand tons of grain in the Ukrainian ports on the Danube, with bombings and drone attacks continuing till this moment. So, while accusing the UN and Ukraine of duplicitous attitudes, the Russian media does not mention anything about the fact that Russia is bombing civilian ports and ships to block the export of grain, also destroying thousands of tons of food. In this false narrative, Russia's war and destructive actions are bracketed as if they didn’t exist, with Moscow portrayed as a victim of the West which is collaborating with Ukraine.
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