Russia and its army are accused of stealing thousands of tons of grain from Ukraine and trying to sell it to other countries. Egypt and Lebanon have refused to buy.
The closure of Ukrainian ports, Kiev being the fifth-largest wheat exporter in the world, explains the surge in wheat prices since February 24, the date of the Russian invasion.
The forced closure of Ukrainian ports, Kiev being the fifth-largest wheat exporter in the world, explains the surge in wheat prices since February 24,
The accusations are serious, and the Russian army is not only looting dishwashers, it is also stealing Ukraine’s grain stocks. According to the authorities in Kiev, the Russians have stolen 400,000 tons of grain, while 1.5 million tons are stored in silos in the territories occupied by the Russian army.
The Russian army is composed of “Chechen soldiers” who fought for Russia and acted as criminals in the 1990s. First, they offer to buy grain at a ridiculously low price. But if you disagree, they take everything for nothing,” Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov tells CNN. It must be said that the business is profitable: wheat is sold at nearly €420 per ton today, compared to €201/t on May 14, 2021.
Russia denied these accusations in early May. But as has often been the case since the beginning of the war, its defense has been swept aside by the facts. CNN has identified three ships used to export the stolen grain. One of them, the Matros Pozynich, tried to sell its precious cargo to Egypt, which refused. The same thing happened in Lebanon.
There are also many accounts of Russian forces destroying silos full of grain. “This grain, which burned in just one of the silos shelled by the Russians in Rubizhne, Ukraine, could have fed 300,000 people for a year, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said with video. The actions of the Russians are a crime not only against Ukraine, but also against the food security of all humanity.”
Through its German agriculture minister on Friday, Germany called the grain thefts that Russian troops are accused of “repugnant” on the sidelines of a G7 meeting seeking to help Kiev export its production.
“Russia is stealing and confiscating property and grain in eastern Ukraine,” Cem Özdemir said alongside his Ukrainian counterpart, calling it “a particularly repugnant way to wage war.”
Since February 24, Russia has been blocking Ukrainian grain exports. This blockage of Ukrainian ports, Kiev is the fifth-largest exporter of wheat in the world, explains the surge.
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