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New evidence gathered by human rights experts suggests that Russia was actively getting ready to steal grain supplies and cause a food shortage for the Ukrainian people months before last year’s invasion, which was ordered by Vladimir Putin.
On February 24, 2022, according to a recent report from Global Rights Compliance, Russian tanks intentionally aimed for regions abundant in grain and essential food production facilities when crossing the border.
According to GRC, a Russian defense company started buying trucks and three 170-meter cargo ships in December 2021. This suggests that they were preparing in advance to seize Ukrainian food resources on a massive level.
During the invasion of Ukraine, Russia quickly took control of Ukrainian farms and at its highest point, was shipping 12,000 tonnes of grain daily from the occupied territories.
GRC is hoping to present evidence to the International Criminal Court that shows a well-planned and coordinated effort to commit the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare. This could potentially result in the first international prosecution against Mr. Putin.
There is a strong possibility that Russia will be found culpable, according to Catriona Murdoch, a partner at Global Rights Compliance. If this is the case, Mr. Putin may receive another ICC arrest warrant in addition to the one issued in March for the illegal removal of children from Ukrainian territories that are under Russian occupation.
According to Ms. Murdoch, Russia used a variety of tactics, including attacking civilians and destroying important structures, to carry out their plan of seizing and stealing agricultural resources. This has caused a global shortage of food and has also targeted Ukraine’s agriculture industry as a form of warfare.
The grain pillaged from Ukraine so far has an estimated market value of $1bn per year. Multiple private Ukrainian grain companies were forcibly incorporated into Russia’s state operator, the GRC said.
In addition to its impact on Ukrainian citizens, the invasion by Russia has had a ripple effect on millions of people worldwide. This is due to the increase in global food insecurity caused by the conflict, as Ukraine was the top producer of wheat before the invasion.
A farmer from Zaporizhzhia, located in southern Ukraine, reported that his grain farm was seized by Russian forces just five days into the full-scale invasion.
The GRC reported that numerous groups of vehicles were observed transporting grain towards the Crimean Peninsula in the subsequent weeks. GPS devices on trucks that were stolen from farmers indicate that they traveled through Crimea and into Russia.
The Independent received satellite images from the GRC which revealed that grain trucks with license plates from occupied Crimea were present at a facility in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia. Additional images captured train carriages labeled as “grain” departing from Beridansk train station in Zaporizhzhia.
In March of this year, another photo depicts a recently built storage facility in Melitopol, with grains visible within the premises.
According to GRC, although Russia appeared to have strategically planned the theft of Ukrainian grain, job postings in the country indicate that the government struggled to hire enough truck drivers to transport the large amount of stolen food.
The inquiry into the theft of grain continued until August of this year. According to GRC, although Russia has not gained any additional territory with significant grain production, it remains in control of the Crimean peninsula – a major region for exporting grain by sea to both Russia and other countries.
According to Yousuf Syed Khan, a senior lawyer at GRC, Russia’s manipulation of Ukraine’s grain industry is unparalleled in contemporary times.
The Russian government is currently asking the United Nations and other major countries to lift sanctions related to war in order to resume exporting grain from occupied areas to developing nations that have been severely impacted by the food crisis. This proposal to provide grain to allied countries was also a component of President Putin’s unsuccessful attempt to regain a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
According to Mr Khan, Russia’s actions are an attempt to establish itself as the rightful ruler of Ukrainian land, ultimately causing harm to Ukraine’s economy.
Source: independent.co.uk
