Russia has stolen 3.7 million tons of Ukrainian grain from occupied territories

The aggressor country stole at least 3.7 million tons of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily seized territory of Ukraine, excluding Crimea, the  National Resistance Center reports.

The Russians reportedly stole 1.4 million tons of grain from the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region alone.

"The Russians loot all this grain from farmers, who are forced to sell their products at fixed prices many times lower than market prices. The grain is then resold to enterprises connected to Gauleiter and sold at market prices in the Russian Federation itself," the report says.

The center stressed that all those involved in the theft of Ukrainian grain will be held accountable in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine.

Background

Russians are actively transporting looted grain collected in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions through ports in Crimea. According to the NRC, looted Ukrainian grain is probably sent to African markets. 

Russians also use Mariupol in the Donetsk region to export grain. Grain trucks are plying there, heading in the direction of Novoazovsk and Rostov-on-Don in Russia.

"Grain at temporarily occupied territories is bought for nothing and only to simulate the picture of market relations. All farmers of captured regions must give a grain of wheat to the enemy at a fixed price, which is many times lower than the market price," the center of national opposition emphasizes.

Thus, on August 16, it was uncovered that the Russian invaders sent another Russian ship with one and a half thousand tons of Ukrainian grain from occupied Mariupol.

On July 17, the Kremlin refused to extend its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkiye and the UN, to open Ukrainian ports, blocked by Russian warships since the start of the invasion in February 2022, for food and grain export.

After Russia pulled out of the deal, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, offered Turkiye and the UN to continue the grain initiative in a trilateral format. Ukraine is considering the possibility of transporting food through the territorial waters of Romania and Bulgaria.

On July 19, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation threatened that any countries under whose flags ships would be sent to Ukrainian ports would be considered involved in the war. In turn, Ukraine promised to respond in kind to Russia's threats to sink ships.

Almost a month after Russia withdrew from the grain agreement, Ukraine announced opening temporary corridors for merchant ships in the Black Sea. However, the Navy of Ukraine stressed that the threat from the Russian Federation remains.