DISINFO: EU sanctions harm Africa instead of Russia
SUMMARY
The sanctions aimed at Russia are actually directed at Africa. Sanctions seem to have a relatively minor impact on Russia, but they carry a significantly greater effect on Africa. An agreement was made to deliver cereals to a conflict zone; however, these cereals fail to reach Africa. Barely 3% of everything released has arrived in Africa, even though it is a continent with nearly 2 billion people. These sanctions have affected Africa a lot.
RESPONSE
Recurring narrative that EU sanctions do not affect the Russian economy with the addition that they, in fact, target Africa.
Western sanctions do affect the Russian economy in the long term. The idea that Saint Petersburg is a beautiful city and the Africa-Russia summit was well organised does not prove in any way that the Russian economy is untouched by EU sanctions. Some analysts consider that the Russian resilience is nothing but a Potemkin façade, sustained not through genuine economic productivity but rather through shaking down the entire country for pennies to direct towards war.
Read an earlier detailed analysis of the Russian disinformation narratives about EU sanctions.
The claim that the sanctions target Africa instead is an attempt to reduce the public criticism which can be expected from populations in countries dependent on the grain export after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal in July 2023.
The claim that the Black Sea initiative did not benefit Africa because only 3% of exports reached a continent of almost 2 billion people is wrong. Firstly, this figure does not incorporate the North African countries that are regular buyers of Ukrainian and Russian crops. Moreover, sub-Saharan countries benefited from the agreement even if they did not buy grain from Ukraine, as volumes sold by Ukraine to closer destinations lowered tensions on the world market and lowered global food prices.
According to the database of the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative, until 4 July 2023, in total, 32.8 million tons of grain were exported from Ukraine through the corridor ensured by the UN on the Black Sea. Of these, 12,512,900 metric tons or 38.26% were destined for European countries. That is, less than half of the exported quantity reached Europe. Most of it went to countries in Asia and Africa. On the first place among recipient countries is China, by far the largest recipient, 7.9 million metric tons of grain, mainly corn. On second place is Spain, with 6 million metric tons.
See here a similar case claiming that Ukrainian grain was sent to Spain, to be used as pigfeed and here a case about the West depriving poor countries of food. Read also related narratives: Russian economy largely outperforms European economies in 2023, Anti-Russia sanctions are resulting in US default, The latest EU sanctions package is ineffective and doomed to fail, The global food crisis is a consequence of Western sanctions against Russia or Western sanctions are not working.