Ukraine minister accuses Russia of stealing ‘several hundred thousands tonnes’ of grain from areas of the country it controls

• Russia was accused of stealing large amounts of grain from Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. 
• Reuters reported that the Kremlin denied allegations of grain theft committed by Russian forces. 
• “We demand that Russia stop illicit grain stealing,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry recently said.  

Russia has been accused of stealing “several hundred thousand tonnes” of grain in parts of Ukraine they control, Ukraine’s deputy agriculture minister said.

Reuters reported the news. 

The minister, Taras Vysotskiy, made the accusation on Saturday while speaking on Ukrainian national TV. He said that a further 1.5 million tonnes of grain in Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine could also be stolen. 

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry first made the claim on Thursday in a tweet. “We demand that Russia stop illicit grain stealing, unblock Ukrainian ports, restore freedom of navigation, and allow trade ships to pass,” it said. 

It added that the looting of grain stands to worsen “the world’s food security.” 

Ukraine is suffering from a growing humanitarian crisis, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. More than 1.7 billion are at risk of poverty and famine, the United Nations and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stressed, due to disruptions in the food production system caused by Russia. 

Reuters reported that the grain theft is occurring in the Kherson region of Ukraine, which fell to Russian forces amid the war. A city located in southern Ukraine along the Black Sea, Kherson was the first major city captured by Russia. 

The Kremlin denied accusations that Russian forces committed any acts of theft, saying it was unaware of the source of the information.

According to Ukraine’s agriculture minister, Mykola Solskyi, grain theft has increased in the past two weeks, per Reuters. “I personally hear this from many silo owners in the occupied territory. This is outright robbery. And this is happening everywhere in occupied territory,” Solskyi said.

In recent weeks, there have been reports that global famine could arise from Russia’s war with Ukraine. Germany’s agricultural minister urged Western nations to increase arms to the war-stricken country to avert the possibility of such a crisis.