Russia steals about 500,000 t of Ukrainian grain from Zaporizhzhia region

The relevant statement was made by Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Head Ivan Fedorov on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“This year about 500 thousand tonnes of wheat has been taken away from the region, which is one-seventh of Russia’s total grain exports. They are planning to take another 200 thousand tonnes,” Fedorov wrote.

In his words, Russian occupiers illegally transport grain to Crimea and the territory of Russia, and then export millions of tonnes of grain and industrial crops. For the stolen grain alone, the Zaporizhzhia region’s agricultural sector suffered UAH 7 billion in losses in the first year of Russian occupation.

Prior to the full-scale war, a total of 1.8 million hectares of agricultural lands were cultivated in the Zaporizhzhia region. Now, 80% of such lands (1.4 million hectares) are remaining under Russian occupation or in the zone of active hostilities. Here, Russian occupiers gather and steal Ukrainian crops. The enemy also seized grain stocks from the previous years, which used to be kept in silos, grain storage facilities, and the Port of Berdiansk.

A reminder that Russia uses the temporarily occupied Ukrainian ports in Crimea and the Sea of Azov to illegally ship crops from the occupied areas.

Photo: gettyimages