Russians caught exporting stolen Ukrainian grain
Russian forces continue to steal Ukrainian grain, transporting it in trucks from occupied territories, former Mariupol official Petro Andryuschenko reported on March 30.
Convoys of grain trucks from the Russian-occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhya oblasts remain active, with grain being exported to Russia in preparation for the new sowing season.
The occupiers stored grain in elevators after the 2024 harvest, but are now exporting it in large quantities to free up storage space.
This move is part of an ongoing effort to destroy the agricultural potential of the regions and use Ukraine’s resources for Russia’s benefit.
Andryuschenko noted that in 2023, the Mariupol port sent at least 22 ships carrying 112,000 tons of grain, mostly to Turkey and Egypt.
In 2024, Russian forces in Donetsk Oblast harvested approximately 500 million tons of grain and 250,000 tons of sunflower.
Most of these agricultural products have already been exported to Russia or are in transit.
“The invaders are leaving only minimal reserves for the 2025 sowing campaign,” Andryuschenko emphasized.
In September 2024, Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office official Yuriy Belousov reported that the losses from Russia’s appropriation of Ukrainian grain had surpassed 30 billion hryvnias, and the total may continue to grow.
A February 2025 investigation by Important Stories and OCCRP revealed that a Russian company had supplied Egypt with more than 20,000 tons of wheat, which may have been stolen from the occupied Ukrainian territories.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
