Russia harvests billion dollars worth of wheat in occupied Ukraine | Abroad

The NASA program uses a special technique that detects changes in texture and color on satellite images to map where crops have been harvested or not. According to NASA Harvest, nearly six million tons of wheat have been harvested in areas not under Ukrainian control. About 88 percent of the winter crops planted in occupied territories were harvested. Especially in the front line, grain remained in the fields.

The research raises the question of what happens to those crops. Russian ships may have exported the grain to countries such as Libya and Iran. However, it is difficult to estimate the quantities involved because the origin of the shipments is not clear. Russia, meanwhile, denies that it stole grain.

Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat and the blockade of its ports after the Russian invasion drove up prices. This may have made smuggling grain more lucrative. Grain prices have fallen thanks to an agreement that allowed Ukraine to resume exports. Still, prices remain high.

Nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s wheat is grown on land that Russia claims to have annexed. Part of that area is still controlled by Ukraine. NASA Harvest’s estimates relate to wheat and so far do not include other crops or foodstuffs.

The highest prosecutor in Switzerland, a major commodity trading center, previously warned that the sale of looted raw materials could be a war crime. HarvEast, a Ukrainian grain grower, said earlier that all winter crops planted in the Donetsk region were removed by the occupying forces this summer. “This year, winter wheat in the region produced very high yields thanks to favorable weather conditions,” said HarvEast. “Everything harvested in our fields has been stolen and exported from Ukraine.”