The Kremlin is robbing Ukraine of millions of tons of grain, covering up its own crop failure

The Kremlin plans to increase the share of stolen grain from occupied regions of Ukraine in Russia’s total harvest due to unfavorable conditions in the Russian Federation itself. This year, Russia is expected to have a “compact harvest” due to drought, sanctions and limited access to machinery, and grain sales volumes have already fallen by 34.5% in June.

This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

According to the Central Statistical Office, in 2023 and 2024, the volume of grain from the occupied territories of Ukraine amounted to approximately 3% of Russia’s total harvest.

“The Kremlin continues to illegally export grain from the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, integrating it into its own export system. According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has appropriated about 15 million tons of Ukrainian grain, and this figure continues to grow,” the report says.

The problem is particularly acute in the occupied Zaporizhia region, where farmers are forced to sell grain at low prices. Even the minimal amounts of the harvest, which should be used for the needs of the region and the sowing campaign, are taken away and transported to the ports of Rostov-on-Don.

The stolen grain is then mixed with Russian grain and sent for export, which makes it difficult to identify and allows the Russian Federation to circumvent international sanctions.

Recall that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has exported 15 million tons of Ukrainian grain from the occupied territories.

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