Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘stealing’ grain
Ukrainian officials accuse Russia of stealing its grain and bringing it on board ships in Crimea, but the Kremlin denies it, calling this fake news.
“New satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows grain stolen from Ukraine being transferred to cargo ships Russia in the port of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula”, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine announced on May 24.
The agency attached satellite photos taken on May 19 and 21, showing two Russian-flagged ships appearing in the port of Sevastopol, Matros Pozynich and Matros Koshka. These two ships are receiving grain from storage at the port through a dedicated delivery system.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia stole Ukrainian grain, calling it fake news, but did not provide further details.
Grain is loaded onto the Russian ship Matros Pozynich in Sevastopol on May 19. Image: Maxar.
MarineTraffic page reported that these two ships had left the port of Sevastopol. The Matros Pozynich is sailing through the Aegean Sea to Beirut, while the Matros Koshka is in the Black Sea.
It is not clear whether the two ships were carrying grain that Ukraine accused Russia of stealing. However, the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 does not have the same large grain production as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces of Ukraine.
The ship Matros Koshka docked at the port of Sevastopol on May 21. Image: Maxar.
Ukrainian officials believe that Russian and separatist forces have unloaded grain from several grain depots in the area they control and moved south, to the Crimean peninsula.
Russian Senator Andrey Turchak announced on May 6 that the country “will provide logistical support to transport grain and agricultural products, famous commodities of Kherson province”.
The accusations were made by Ukraine in the context of the United Nations’ growing concern that the war in the country could threaten the world’s food supply. The conflict has also halted operations at Ukrainian ports, which used to export large quantities of cooking oil and grains such as corn and wheat.
Russia and Ukraine produce about 30% of the world’s wheat. Global wheat production is expected to halve this year due to conflict, experts say.
Location of the city of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula. Graphics: Washington Post.
Nguyen Tien (According to Independent)
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