Russia has stolen over 6 mln tons of Ukrainian grain from captured territories over the past year

Russia has stolen almost six million tonnes of Ukrainian grain harvested last year in the occupied territories, according to the US Congress report on June 2023.

The report cited data from a US intelligence assessment based on satellite images and reports from open sources.

The US Congress claims Russian occupiers used ships that sailed through Turkey to deliver cargo to Syrian, Iranian, Georgian, Lebanese, and Israeli ports to transport the stolen grain. The Congress cannot confirm whether the buyers of these cargoes were aware of the Ukrainian origin of the grain.

Russia's full-scale war has caused vast disruptions in food supplies. Earlier, the US allies noted that Russia may have sent stolen shipments of Ukrainian corn to Lebanon. Ukraine has already received information about this incident and has taken the necessary measures.

According to Reuters, the grain was stolen from warehouses in the occupied Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions.

The Ukrainian Embassy called on the Lebanese authorities to dismiss a Syrian state-owned ship from anchoring in the Tripoli port. The Finikia ship is the suspect sailing through international waters under the Syrian flag.

The Lebanese court lifted the arrest of Laodecia, which was transporting stolen Ukrainian grain.

Poland and Hungary are demanding that the ban on Ukrainian grain exports be extended beyond September 17. Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Romania are also against Ukrainian agricultural products. Farmers in these countries are dissatisfied with the fact that cheap grain from Ukraine is entering their territory.