The losses caused by Russia's misappropriation of Ukrainian grain amount to over UAH 30 billion, but this figure is not final.
This was stated by Yuriy Belousov, Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office, at the conference "United for justice. Accountability for attacks on civilian objects".
"In fact, Russia is blackmailing the international community with the real possibility of creating famine for other countries. As a result of the
attacks on grain and port infrastructure, a number of countries in Africa and Asia that received Ukrainian grain are at risk of losing their existence. Ukraine was and still is one of the key suppliers to the World Food Programme," he said.
According to Belousov, there are two periods of Russian attacks on agricultural infrastructure that are linked to the grain deal. Before the agreement was signed, shelling was carried out with artillery systems in the frontline areas: most of the affected facilities were in Mykolayiv (59) and Kherson (78) Regions. After Ukraine refused to accept the threatening conditions of Russia, the scale of the strikes began to expand. First of all, Odesa and Odesa Region, which has the most powerful and developed infrastructure, were targeted.
Since then, Moscow has been using a wide range of completely different weapons: Shaheds, Iskanders, tactical aircraft missiles, and sea- and land-based missiles.
"This only shows that this is a well-coordinated Russian policy. These attacks involve completely different types of troops. And the decision to carry out the attacks simultaneously is made by the highest military and political leadership of the Russian Federation," Belousov added.
He noted that Russia is trying to deprive Ukrainians of their livelihoods. They are trying to steal grain, and if that fails, to destroy it. As of today, the losses incurred by Ukraine as a result of grain misappropriation are estimated at over UAH 30 billion.
"Given the scale of such crimes, we can definitely see at least a crime against humanity, and in a broader perspective, one of the elements of genocide, which is associated with creating conditions for the physical destruction of a nation. We are talking about depriving the nation of the conditions for survival, because we know the potential of grain," the head of the department concluded.
- The Wall Street Journal wrote that Russia and its accomplices sold almost one billion dollars worth of stolen grain in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Since 2022, the Russians have managed to occupy some of the most fertile lands in Europe. There, Russians either took away crops or bought them for next to nothing, often by force