Russians set to export over 300t of sunflower crop from occupied Luhansk region - watchdog

The Russian invaders intend to "export" from the temporarily occupied Luhansk region more than 300 tons of sunflower seed, which they "bought" from local farmers at dumped prices.

This was reported by the National Resistance Center, Ukrinform saw.

"The Russians plan to ‘export’ more than 300 tons of sunflower seed from the temporarily occupied Luhansk region. The occupiers ‘bought’ it from local farmers for pennies in order to further export it to Russia, before forwarding it to African countries," the report says.

It is noted that the pseudo-Ministry of Agriculture of the so-called "Luhansk People’s Republic" is counting on cooperation with African countries.

"Such a scheme has been actively utilized in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine since the start of the occupation. The Russian occupation administrations put farmers in a strict framework, where they are forced to sell their harvest to a certain "company" at a fixed price," the Center emphasized.

It is emphasized that the export of crops by the invaders is not only an economic crime against Ukraine, but also part of a broader strategy aimed at undermining the economic stability of the region and strengthening Russia’s global position through the trade in stolen Ukrainian grain.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Russian occupation authorities are handing over the Azovmash and Azovelektrostal factories in Mariupol to Rostec, the Russian state-owned corporation, which intends to employ electric furnaces to melt looted scrap into forms convenient for export.