Over $1 Billion Worth of Ukrainian Wheat ‘Reaped’ by Russia, According to New Bloomberg Report

Europe, the U.S. and all Nations Must Respond, Says ISRP

This week, the Bloombergteam of Aine Quinn and Agnieszka de Sousa, in collaboration with NASA Harvest, reported for the first time that Ukraine has lost $1 billion worth of wheat that was harvested in Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia.

Using advanced satellite imagery to model the wheat crop, the report was able to determine that a quarter of Ukraine’s wheat is grown on Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and that the Russian invaders have illegally harvested millions of tons. According to the reporters:

Major Ukraine grower HarvEast said that all the winter crops it planted on its land in Donetsk region had been collected by occupying forces this summer.”

Ambassador (ret.) James K. Glassman, former U.S. Under Secretary of State and now chief spokesperson for the Initiative for the Study of Russian Piracy, congratulated the Bloomberg reporters and stated, “These new revelations show clearly that Russia’s aims in Ukraine, like Hitler’s and Stalin’s, are economic as well as ideological. Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe – in fact, the world – and Russia wants Ukraine’s assets, especially its grain and its steel, for itself.”

Earlier reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and the Associated Press exposed a sophisticated transshipment operation, directed by Russia and mainly involving private shippers, that transported the stolen crops from Ukraine. These reports provide, in great detail, just how Russia has looted and laundered Ukrainian assets, which are then sold or shipped to Russia or its allies, such as Syria.

The ISRP assists journalists and other individuals and organizations in the disclosure of Russia’s illegal theft and has been alerting the world of these nefarious Russian practices since July.

The ISRP stated five months ago that the “illegal activity provides Russia with income and commodities to be used in a war that has killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians. The theft of critical assets has sparked fears of an engineered famine, and the resulting economic impact is already being felt worldwide.”

Europe has made it clear that there will be consequences for Russia’s lawless actions. An earlier Bloomberg article carried the headline, “Trading Looted Ukrainian Commodities Could Be a War Crime, Prosecutor Warns” and Switzerland’s top prosecutor has echoed this warning, noting, “the commercialization of looted raw materials could constitute a war crime.”

Amb. Glassman, in response to the reports of the scale of Russia’s organized theft and continued assault on Ukrainian sovereignty, added in his statement:

“Reports of over $1 billion worth of Ukrainian grain having been reaped are harrowing. Not just Russia but all those involved in perpetrating the theft of grain and other assets like steel and metals, must be held accountable for their actions by Europe, the United States and nations across the globe. ISRP congratulates the work done by Bloomberg and NASA Harvest and will continue to assist in exposing the scale and scope of Russia’s illegal theft.”