Brussels, 30 October 2022 (dpa/MIA) - EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has criticized Russia's reimposed blockade of Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea. "Russia's decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at [risk] the main export route of much needed grain and fertilisers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine," Borrell wrote in a tweet on Sunday. "The EU urges Russia to revert its decision," he wrote. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the Kremlin's decision in similar terms on Saturday evening. Russia announced at the weekend that it was suspending an agreement reached in July under the mediation of Turkey and the UN. It blamed drone attacks on the Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. The grain deal ended a months-long blockade of Ukrainian grain exports in the wake of Russia's invasion. Russian forces have been under pressure in several parts of Ukraine as Ukrainian forces stage a counteroffensive backed by Western military aid and modern equipment. On Sunday, Lithuania announced that it was sending two repaired self-propelled howitzers back to Ukraine. Meanwhile Slovenia handed over 28 Soviet M-55S battle tanks, according to Slovenian news portal 24ur.com, citing the Ministry of Defence. One consequence of the recent Ukrainian successes is more deaths among Russian and pro-Russian forces. The Wagner mercenary group, which is fighting alongside Russian troops, has significantly weakened its strict recruitment criteria because of significant losses, according to British intelligence on Sunday. After its previous "relatively high recruitment standards," the group is now admitting "prisoners with serious medical concerns," the Ministry of Defence in London tweeted in its daily intelligence update on the conflict. The approach "prioritizes numbers of experience or quality," it said. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin may be considering using the new recruits to build a so-called "Wagner line" defensive position in eastern Ukraine, the British update said. The British Ministry of Defence has been publishing daily information on the course of the war in Ukraine since it began in late February. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.