National Resistance Center: Russia moves stolen grain through Crimea and Mariupol

The grain collected in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast is transported through ports in Crimea, new analysis from Ukraine's National Resistance Center said on Aug. 5.

Russian forces also take some grain through the port city of Mariupol, where trucks have been seen carrying grain toward Novoazovsk and Rostov-on-Don.

"All farmers in occupied territories are forced to surrender wheat grain to [Russian forces] at a fixed price, which is many times lower than the market price," the National Resistance Center wrote, explaining how Russia is able to acquire grain at such a cheap rate.

The National Resistance Center hypothesizes that the grain is sent from Ukrainian territories to African markets, where governments have become concerned with grain shortages after Russia backed out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was critical for ensuring global food security. Russia has unleashed a campaign of attacks on Ukraine’s port and grain infrastructure in the past several weeks.

Risk of ‘big disruptions’ high in grain markets, says Black Sea expert

Since Russia refused to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative – a U.N.-brokered deal to keep Ukraine’s grain flowing from its Black Sea ports amid Russia’s full-scale invasion – it has unleashed a campaign of attacks on Ukraine’s port and grain infrastructure. In late July, Russia carried

The Kyiv IndependentLili Bivings