Russian President Vladimir Putin is not only waging war against Ukraine, he is also stealing from the country. Russia steals tons of grain from the occupied territories in the east and south and ships it illegally. Customers are happy to buy – also because they have no other choice.
At the beginning of July, Turkey held the Russian freighter “Zhibek Zholy” in the Turkish port of Karasu in the Black Sea for days. The ship is fully loaded with grain – the Attorney General of Kyiv speaks of up to 7,000 tons. It is said to have come from Ukraine and was stolen by Russian troops. The Ukrainian government is urging Turkey to confiscate the cargo and return it to Ukraine. Apparently that didn’t happen. The freighter has now left the port of Karasu. After turning off its signal transmitter in the Black Sea, it is currently en route to Russia. What becomes of the grain is unclear.
For several months now, Ukraine has been accusing Russia of stealing and exporting Ukrainian grain. The “Zhibek Zholy” flying the Russian flag could be the first visible evidence of this.
Stephan von Cramon-Taubadel has been observing for some time that Moscow is selling more grain than usual. “In Russian grain trader reports that I get, there is talk of this so-called SMO grain, special military operations grain, from the Russian-occupied areas in the south and east of Ukraine,” says the professor of agricultural policy at the University of Göttingen on ntv -Podcast “Learned something again”.
Large quantities of grain have been stolen from these main wheat production areas. “This grain is probably exported via Russia. We don’t know exactly which way it goes, but the Russian export volumes have increased as a result,” says von Cramon-Taubadel.
That Russia is stealing grain from Ukraine is an open secret. The attackers steal tons of wheat and co. from the occupied territories and sell it on. Russian troops are said to have stolen at least half a million tons, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The United Nations even speak of 700,000 tons.
The Russian government in Moscow says that’s not true. But the Russian administrations in Ukraine are quite open about it. The occupiers of the southern and eastern regions of the country have already admitted that they bring stolen grain to Crimea by train or truck. From there it is shipped and sold abroad, Russia’s Crimean government says. Iraq and Saudi Arabia, among others, are said to be among the customers.
“You don’t only hear about Russian exports to Egypt and Syria, but also to Iran, Libya, Turkey and Algeria in the last few weeks and months. The grain is simply urgently needed at the moment. We continue to buy Russian gas in Germany. Too much moralize, that’s a bit difficult in this situation,” points out von Cramon-Taubadel.
According to the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut, Syria alone is said to have received around 100,000 tons of stolen grain from Ukraine. However, the civil war country is militarily dependent on Russia and will therefore hardly question where the grain really comes from, emphasizes the agricultural expert.
Egypt can also urgently use any delivery. The country is one of the largest wheat importers in the world. The majority, around 80 percent, have come from the direction of Kyiv and Moscow. But because of the war of aggression, less wheat arrives in Egypt from Ukraine. Among other things, because the ports on the Black Sea are blocked by Russia. Ukrainian grain carriers are stuck. And not so much can be transported by train for a long time. Now Egypt is in a food crisis – and in a bind.
Egypt has bought 440,000 tons of grain from Russia, France and Romania to be delivered in September-October, reports Cramon-Taubadel. Over 200,000 tons of it would come from Russia. “It won’t say on the individual ship’s cargo that it’s stolen grain from Ukraine, or that’s guaranteed to be pure Russian grain. Technically you might be able to tell, but with mixtures it’s going to be very difficult to dissect something like that.”
Egypt will probably hardly question that. “In the end, the Egyptian government is dependent on reliable deliveries that are as cheap as possible. And you probably won’t be able or willing to control that very precisely,” says the agricultural professor in the podcast.
Despite this, Egypt does not appear to blindly accept every delivery. In May, it turned back two ships carrying stolen Ukrainian wheat, reports the Wall Street Journal. Why, however, is unclear.
In order to be able to sell the stolen grain as its own, Russia uses a few tricks. Cargo ships are turning off their tracking systems, according to a BBC report. Apparently, so did the Russian grain tanker detained by Turkey in early July. Or the freighters go through Russia specifically to make it appear as if they are loading Russian grain.
Another option is to mix the Ukrainian grain with Russian grain. The origin can then hardly be determined.
But anyway, the countries are not looking too closely, says agricultural expert von Cramon-Taubadel in the podcast. “As unappetizing as that may be, this grain is urgently needed. On the one hand, there is the grain stolen by the Russians from the Ukraine, of which there are certainly significant quantities, but also the Russian harvest itself, of course. We need this grain globally, because the markets are very scarce, because otherwise prices would rise very sharply again. You don’t want to buy anything from the Russians now, especially not grain that they stole from the Ukraine. But on the other hand, the world market situation would be much tighter and so would the prices much higher if you excluded this grain.”
The grain harvest in Ukraine is just beginning. Supplies that the world really needs urgently. But the farmers soon no longer know what to do with the new harvest. Many warehouses were destroyed by the Russians – or are full.
About 20 million tons of old grain are still stored in the country. The UN agricultural organization FAO estimates that there will soon be 50 million tons of fresh wheat, corn, barley, oats and rye. However, the storage facilities only have space for around 60 million tons.
Does it help to build new storage facilities, for example on the Polish border, so that the grain can be transported more easily? Large silos could again be the target of attacks, von Cramon-Taubadel warns. The construction is also difficult in the short term. Modular storage options can be created relatively quickly. The grain can be temporarily stored in silo hoses, as is known from hay storage in fields. There is an initiative for this.
However, the expert does not see this as a permanent solution. “If Ukraine can export again via the Black Sea ports, these investments will be out of place. In the long term, this cannot be the solution for the large export volumes that Ukraine can produce.”
Normally, now in the summer, the harvest would be brought to the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. But they are still blocked by Russia, are destroyed or full of mines. Therefore, Ukraine is switching to truck and train. That’s more expensive. In addition, not as much fits in there as in a huge freighter. Just half as much as usual, 36 million tons, can be transported overland, calculates von Cramon-Taubadel.
Ukraine is now exporting 1.7 million tons a month again. Before the war it was five million tons, says Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir.
Of course, the war also made transport over land difficult. The fighting destroys the crops and makes transport dangerous.
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes advantage of this. Grain is scarce and therefore expensive. With the extra grain stolen, Russia earns even more. After all, the country is the largest wheat exporter in the world. “I wouldn’t say that he explicitly attacked Ukraine, especially because of the grain. But it all comes together very nicely that he can use it to secure a significant influence on the world markets for grain. By trying to take over Ukraine incorporated would significantly strengthen Russia’s position in agricultural markets.”
And the world urgently needs grain. According to the UN, millions of people are at risk of starvation because of the increased prices. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had demanded that the Russian fleet must first withdraw from the ports before the Ukrainian ships can cast off again in the Black Sea.
In addition, the mines in the water must be cleared away. The mines that have broken loose are very dangerous for the ships. It doesn’t matter what flag they fly under.
