Ukraine has lost nearly $1 billion of grain harvested in Russian-controlled areas, according to research using satellite imagery from NASA’s Agriculture and Food Security Program.
Bloomberg reported that the analysis used an automated model that tracked changes detected by satellites and monitored the areas collected.
Nearly 6 million tons of grain has been harvested from areas not under Ukrainian control, according to the report, and about 88 percent of winter crops grown in the occupied areas have been harvested, while unharvested areas are mostly along the line of the front.
Russian ships export grain, likely taken from occupied territories, to countries including Libya and Iran, and the agency says it’s difficult to estimate how much is harvested because shippers hide the origin of the shipments.
Russia has denied stealing the grain, but Russian officials have spoken publicly about resuming shipments of grain from occupied ports.
Ukraine is a major source of grain and the blockade imposed on its ports after the Russian invasion has led to higher prices, which could make grain smuggling more profitable, according to the report.
Nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s wheat is grown on land Russia says it has annexed, although Ukraine controls some of that territory.
And “Bloomberg” indicates that the “NASA Harvest” estimates are for wheat and thus far exclude other crops or food items, and the results do not indicate what happened to the crops after they were harvested.
According to the report, farmers in Ukraine harvested 26.6 million tons of grain this year, more than expected.
Switzerland’s chief prosecutor has warned that marketing looted raw materials could constitute a war crime.
The report quoted Ukrainian farmer, Harv East, as saying that all winter crops on his land in the Donetsk region were harvested by the occupying forces this summer.
Ukraine, which is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, was forced to suspend almost all deliveries after the Russian invasion in late February.
