Published on : 31/05/2022 – 00:03
For more than a month, Ukraine has denounced the theft of cereals in the regions occupied by Russia. On the Russian side, we speak rather of agreements concluded with local farmers.
At least a third of Ukrainian grain stored in the occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson is said to have been taken by pro-Russian forces and sold as Russian grain, according to Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry. At the beginning of May, this represented between 400,000 and 500,000 tonnes. Figures which, according to a cereal broker, have only been able to increase since then.
The transport is facilitated by the road infrastructures. Since the annexation of Crimea and the construction of a bridge to southern Russia, over the Kerch Strait, trucks can very quickly transport cargo from the Kherson region to Russian port silos, notably those of Novorossiysk.
Satellite images for proof
The American channel CNN managed to confirm by satellite images the grain loading of at least three Russian ships at the port of Sevastopol, Crimea in recent weeks. One of them was found with its cargo at the port of Latakia in Syria.
For kyiv, there is no doubt: all the cereals leaving Sevastopol today come from Ukraine. At this time of year, Crimea is used to importing for internal consumption, not exporting. And this is all the more the case, according to kyiv, as harvests have not been abundant in recent years in the area.
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Purchase at a bargain price or theft?
On the Russian side, the Tass agency confirmed on Monday that cereals stored in Kherson were starting to leave the region thanks to an agreement reached between farmers and Russian buyers. Cereals bought under pressure at low prices or confiscated? Difficult to verify information from independent sources. Local farmers probably have little choice, especially as they need to empty their silos for the next harvest.