Tyrant Vladimir Putin should be indicted on war crime charges for masterminding a plot to dismantle Ukraine’s grain supplies, a bombshell report says. A six-month investigation by international human rights foundation Global Rights Compliance shows “significant evidence” of an orchestrated campaign to dismantle the war-ravaged country’s agricultural economy by crippling export capabilities and destroying its power as a top global exporter.
It reveals a disturbing pattern of attacks against grain and agricultural infrastructure in ports and other facilities located in the Odesa Oblast. Analysis claims to expose Moscow’s systematic use of economic warfare, concentrating on nine attacks launched by Russian forces against grain and infrastructure sites across multiple Black Sea and Danube ports and other facilities within the Odesa Oblast following Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2023.
The report, compiled in collaboration with UK-based Intelligence Management Services Limited and Centre for Information Resilience, reveals Russia’s economic objective to replace Ukraine as a top grain exporter and attacking its agricultural sector as a key source of national revenue.
Widespread and coordinated attacks on grain and grain-related infrastructure in Odesa Oblast increased exponentially after Russia’s withdrawal from the initiative.
Moscow has regularly unleashed a ferocious volley of missile and drone strikes on southern and eastern Ukraine, bombarding the strategic Black Sea port of Odesa.
It is the besieged country’s main port for exporting grain and has often been attacked since Russia‘s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The attacks are seen as proof that Russia wants to endanger the lives of 400 million people in scores of countries who depend on Ukrainian food exports.
The UN-brokered initiative allowed 100,000 tonnes of Ukrainian food to be exported every day, but Putin suspended Russia’s participation, despite it stabilising global food prices and, according to the UN, indirectly preventing 100 million people from falling into poverty and hunger.
Analysis shows more than 101,000 square metres of grain storage alongside machinery was hit across the region between July and October 2023.
They severely disrupted exports and exacerbated global food insecurity, particularly in regions heavily dependent on Ukrainian grain, which accounted for around 12% of the world’s wheat before Russia’s invasion.
The report finds that high-level Russian officials, alongside numerous prominent Russia-owned media outlets and propagandists during and in the aftermath of the attacks, display clear support for the targeting of these civilian objects and their importance to Ukraine.
One attack on Chornomorsk between July 18-19, 2023 involved the use of multiple types of highly accurate weapons which would require authorisation from the Strategic Command of the Russian Armed Forces. The strike was not driven by Russian military goals due to the absence of evidence of attacks on positions surrounding the grain facilities.
Some 60,000 tonnes of grain was destroyed in the attack on Chornomorsk – the equivalent of approximately 2,000 30ft long articulated lorries full of grain.
Catriona Murdoch, Vice President at Global Rights Compliance said: “Given the scale and impact of these attacks on the Odesa region, international investigations must now mirror Ukraine’s national investigations and prioritise the targeting of agricultural infrastructure as a war crime. The protection of critical civilian infrastructure and food systems in conflict zones is not only a legal obligation – it is essential to safeguarding civilian populations and global food security.”
Russian forces have continued to attack Odesa Oblast unabated, with estimates of 113 strikes between January and October 2024 alone, targeting more ports and other critical infrastructure in what experts said was a “clear pattern against grain and related infrastructure”
Ukraine President Zelensky has said that, since July 2023, Russia has damaged 321 port infrastructure facilities alongside 20 foreign merchant vessels.
Yuri Belousov, of Ukraine’s Office of the General Prosecutor, said: “Ukraine will continue to stand firm, not only in defence of our sovereignty, but also in defence of the rule of law, the integrity of global food systems, and the basic dignity of human life. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine urges continued international attention as Ukraine enters its third year under sustained attacks on critical civilian infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, Russian forces have launched more than 2,300 attacks on hospital and health care facilities since Putin launched his invasion, new data shows.
The first-of-its-kind snapshot from research carried out by Anglia Ruskin University and published by the World Health Organisation is based on the experiences of 617 Ukrainian hospitals.