Ukraine war: Kremlin calls Kyiv's claim of Russian forces stealing Ukrainian grains false

After Ukraine blamed Russia for stealing millions of tonnes of grains from its temporary occupied territories, the Russian Federation commented on the situation. Russia has refused all the claims made by Ukraine, stating that Ukraine's statement about Russia's grain exports from its territory appears to be false and that those who made them did not care to verify the information.

As per reports by RIA Novosti, the spokesperson of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov stated that they don't have any information on Ukrainian claims of Russia stealing grains and that it appears to be fake. He further stated that he is not sure who said this, but it is clear that they didn't bother to verify this information.

'Russian invading forces stole several hundred thousand tons of grain': Ukraine

This comes as, a week ago on April 30, Ukraine's deputy agriculture minister, Taras Vysotskiy, said that Russian invading forces had stolen "several hundred thousand tons" of grain from the country's occupied territories and that there is definite information that hundreds of thousands of tons of grain were removed out of the Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russian forces targetted the warehouses of the agricultural firms and that the grain storage facility was completely destroyed, according to media reports.

Ukraine is a significant grain producer, and the Russian invasion has hindered its exports, boosting global grain prices and generating fears of serious grain shortages in importing countries. Ukraine sold around 44.7 million tonnes to foreign markets in 2020/21, making it the fourth-largest supplier in the world, according to media reports. However, exports have fallen significantly since Russia's invasion, and the UN has warned that food shortages caused by the conflict might put 1.7 billion people in the world at risk of hunger.

Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskiy stated that grain theft has risen in Ukraine as many grain owners in the occupied territory have revealed the grain shortage, according to Radio Free Europe. Solskiy also acknowledged that Ukraine's accusations have been denied by the Kremlin, which claimed it had no idea where the information came from.

(Image: AP/Unsplash)