In July, the grain fields in Ukraine – the country was the fifth largest wheat exporter in the world before the war – are actually harvested. According to information from the capital Kiev, the fields in the south of the country are increasingly the target of Russian attacks. Apparently they deliberately set them on fire with cluster bombs. Ukraine sees this as an attempt by Moscow to deliberately aggravate the global food crisis.
Farmers in southern Ukraine are apparently increasingly fighting burning grain fields. For example, on Tuesday, emergency services extinguished a field in Mykolayiv Oblast (administrative district, please note) that had caught fire after Russian shelling (see video above). At the beginning of July, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already warned against targeted attacks on grain fields.
According to authorities, Russian troops used cluster bombs to ignite fires. For example, 150 hectares of grain near Kherson, which were about to be harvested, would have been destroyed within a few days. “The Russians are burning our bread,” said a spokesman for the foreign ministry in Kiev.
War has made a lot of food more expensive
Before the war, Ukraine was one of the largest grain exporters in the world. According to information from Kiev, millions of tons of Ukrainian grain are trapped in the Black Sea as a result of the Russian attack and naval blockade. The country is only gradually succeeding in establishing alternative export routes. The uncertainties caused by the war have made a lot of food more expensive worldwide.
Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain in the occupied territories for months, which Moscow denies. However, images from the American satellite operator Maxar show that Russian ships have shipped Ukrainian grain to Syria, among other things.
Russia brags about grain exports from Ukraine
Most recently, the pro-Russian government in the Zaporizhzhya region of southeastern Ukraine was hit by large-scale grain exports. “More than 100 wagons have already been shipped and a 150,000-ton contract has been signed with a grain merchant,” the head of the Russian military administration in Zaporizhzhya said on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
