It could be another war crime: the Russians are apparently exporting more than a million tons of grain from Ukraine – and organizing the logistics for future theft. Moscow counters that there is no need, Ukrainian wheat is “inferior in quality to the Russian product”.
According to research by NDR, Russia is planning to export a total of 1.8 million tons of grain from the occupied territories of Ukraine. According to the report, as can be seen from the analysis of ship data, satellite images and Russian documents, a million tons have apparently already been shipped via seaports on the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
According to NDR research, around 20 ships have left the Crimean port of Sevastopol loaded with wheat and other grain since the war began in February of this year. Most of the transports go to Syria, Russia or Turkey. The Russian freighters would switch off their tracking devices before calling at the Crimean ports – but the route of the transport ships can be traced with satellite images, images from ship observers and fragmentary transponder data.
According to the NDR, Ukrainian agricultural entrepreneurs said that Russia confiscates grain left behind by farmers fleeing the occupied territories. Other farmers would be expropriated or would have to sell their grain at dumping prices, it is said.
Freight lists viewed by the journalists regarding loading dates and quantities, also for future trips, suggested that “the Russian occupying forces have apparently already organized the logistics for the future theft of grain,” reports the NDR. Russia could generate around 600 million US dollars with illegal exports at this year’s world market prices.
The NDR quotes the international law expert Paulina Starski from the University of Freiburg: According to her, the illegal appropriation of grain on a large scale, which is arbitrary and not covered by military necessity, could be a war crime.
According to the report, the Russian embassy said in response to a request from NDR that it was “undisputed that the Russian Federation not only covers its own grain requirements, but also responds to export requests from all parts of the world”. However, Russia has no need for Ukrainian wheat, especially since this “is inferior to the Russian product in terms of quality”. The embassies of Syria and Turkey did not respond to inquiries.
