The actions of the Russian Federation in the course of armed aggression against Ukraine are aimed at deliberately obstructing agricultural activities and blocking grain exports.
Creating a food crisis in Ukraine and the world seems to be one of the deliberate goals of the Russian war, said Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsya.
According to Ukrinform , he said this on Thursday during a meeting of the Security Council to maintain peace and security in Ukraine.
To date, Russia has stolen about 400 thousand tons of grain from the temporarily occupied regions of Zaporozhye, Kherson, Donetsk and Lugansk regions, which is one third of all stocks in these regions, he said.
“Given that the stolen grain is to be used for the next harvest, this has already heightened the threat of famine,” he added.
Russia also attacks grain elevators, agricultural infrastructure and fertilizer depots, and continues to steal agricultural vehicles, the envoy said.
According to him, the robbery of granaries, the blockade of supplies from Ukrainian ports and the mining of sea routes threaten global food security.
He recalled that, according to the UN, more than 1.7 billion people in the world could be at risk of poverty and hunger due to disruptions in the food production system caused by Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian Federation continues to deliberately block the sowing campaign in Ukraine, he stressed.
Ukraine demands from Russia to stop the illegal theft of grain, unblock Ukrainian ports and restore freedom of navigation.
“We call on the international community to strengthen economic sanctions against Russia in order to stop its military aggression against Ukraine, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and a global food crisis,” he stressed.
The actions of the Russian Federation in the course of armed aggression against Ukraine are aimed at deliberately obstructing agricultural activities and blocking grain exports, which increases the risks of a food crisis and global famine, said US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
In this regard, she drew the attention of other members of the Security Council to the fact that Putin’s war increases the risks of a global food crisis, which particularly affects the markets of Africa and the Middle East.
As UNIAN reported earlier, according to the UN World Food Program, almost 4.5 million tons of grain are blocked in Ukrainian ports through closed sea lanes amid a full-scale Russian military invasion.
The Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs proposes to apply to international organizations, such as Turkey, with a proposal to jointly organize a corridor for the export of grain blocked in ports.
(C)UNIAN 2022