Wheat from Ukraine: Looting as a policy

by Martin Aslan

In a country suffering from war, all exports are restricted in order to cover the needs of the population. In Ukraine, shortages of wheat and gas have been identified. Therefore, it is crucial to control the flows of such goods in order to protect the population.

It seems that the authorities are not able to completely restrict exports. On May 24 reports from the Luhasnk Oblast indicated that people in the town of Stanytsia Luhanska have complained about the lack of fuel at gas stations and about Russian substandard food.

It appears that Russia is taking advantage of the situation by organizing the export of the goods urgently needed by civilians. This could be regarded as starvation as a method of warfare. Using starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited by the Geneva Convention (1977 additional protocols) as well as by the Russian Federation’s Military Manual.

Grain is first moved to the ports of Crimea (Kerch, Sevastopol, Feodosia), occupied by Russia. There, the grains are loaded on dry cargo ships. Based on the size and number of ships departing from Crimea, it seems the quantity exported is very important. On May 21 alone, 2 large ships have departed from Crimea. On May 23 an additional vessel left Crimea.

The destination of many vessels is Syria. This could mean that Russia is trying to support its Syrian ally and guarantee stability there, to the detriment of the Ukrainian population.

Below, you can see the pictures of the vessels exporting wheat out of Ukraine. I received these pictures from a personal contact located in Ukraine. I will try to get more first-hand information on what is happening there in the near future and offer analysis for my readers.

The dry cargo ship “Mikhail Nenashev”, departed on May 21. The vessel returns to Sevastopol after the delivery of grain to a Syrian port.

The dry cargo “Souria” left on May 21. The vessel makes a return voyage to the port of Feodosia after delivery to the port of Iskanderun (Turkiye).

The dry cargo ship “Matros Pozynich” departed on May 23 and headed for Syria to deliver grain there.

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