Satellite imagery showed two Russian-flagged bulk carriers that appeared to be calling at port and carrying grain believed to have been stolen from Ukraine.Photo: flipping twitter
Russia has been sanctioned by the international community for its violation of Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened that Russia “will retaliate”, suggesting that restrictions on food exports may be one of the means of retaliation. The latest satellite imagery from the Crimea port of Sevastopol shows that while Russia continues to attack Ukraine, the theft of Ukrainian food appears to be rampant.
CNN reported that in satellite images, two Russian-flagged bulk carriers appeared to be in port and loaded with grain believed to have been stolen from Ukraine. The ships had a capacity of 30,000 metric tons. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry estimated earlier this month that regarding 400,000 metric tons of food had been stolen and shipped out of Ukraine since the Russian invasion in late February. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “gradually stealing” Ukrainian food and trying to sell it.
Images taken by the US company Maxar Technologies on the 19th and 21st show two boats named Matros Pozynich and Matros Koshka moored next to what appears to be a granary facility, with grain flowing from a conveyor belt into the open in the cargo hold. Both ships have departed, with Matros Pozynich crossing the Aegean Sea, said to be bound for Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, and Matros Koshka in the Black Sea, according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com.
The CNN report mentioned that it is difficult to know for sure whether the cargo on board is stolen Ukrainian grain, but Crimea, annexed by Russia, produces very little grain itself, and is not as good as neighboring Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. ) The region is rich in agricultural products. Ukrainian officials and industry sources have told CNN that Russian forces have emptied several granaries in those occupied areas and shipped grain to the south.
In addition, Russia has also been blocking Ukrainian shipments from ports, raising global fears of a food crisis. Zelensky warned on the 21st: “The international community must assist Ukraine to break through the sea port blockade, otherwise the energy crisis will be followed by a food crisis, and more countries will suffer.” He said that Russia blocked almost all Ukraine’s ports and exported food by sea. possibilities, including grains, barley, sunflower oil, etc.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, which together supplied nearly 30 percent of global trade, Ukraine was the world’s fourth-largest corn exporter and fifth-largest exporter of wheat, according to the U.S. State Department. The UN World Food Programme, which helps fight food instability around the world, buys Ukraine regarding half of its wheat each year and has previously warned of serious consequences if Ukrainian ports are delayed in opening.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said bluntly that Russia falsely claimed that the global food crisis was to blame for international sanctions, but the blockade of Black Sea ports, the interception of grain-laden ships, and the destruction of Ukrainian roads and railways “are Russia, not sanctions. “. Russian state media TASS and other media reports quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Russia’s allegations of stealing food from neighboring countries were “fake news”.
Russia has been sanctioned by the international community for its violation of Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened that Russia “will retaliate”, suggesting that restrictions on food exports may be one of the means of retaliation. The latest satellite imagery from the Crimea port of Sevastopol shows that while Russia continues to attack Ukraine, the theft of Ukrainian food appears to be rampant.
CNN reported that in satellite images, two Russian-flagged bulk carriers appeared to be in port and loaded with grain believed to have been stolen from Ukraine. The ships had a capacity of 30,000 metric tons. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry estimated earlier this month that regarding 400,000 metric tons of food had been stolen and shipped out of Ukraine since the Russian invasion in late February. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “gradually stealing” Ukrainian food and trying to sell it.
Putin has mentioned that restricting grain exports may be one of the means of retaliation for sanctions, and Russian military stealing of Ukrainian grain seems to be rampant.Photo: Dazhi Image/Archyde.com
