Ukrainian officials and agriculture experts have claimed favourable conditions are not enough to explain the giant harvest. They say instead that Ukrainian grain is being exported disguised as Russian produce.
The occupation authorities are "looting" Ukrainian grain, prosecutors alleged in one case against a suspected collaborator, "not for military operations or to meet the needs of the population but for selfish purposes and for motives of personal illegal profit".
Farms are brought under occupation through brutal means, according to prosecutors and a witness, while grain production allegedly flows to Russian companies, including one with connections to Putin's inner circle.
In May, the UK announced "a crackdown on the shady individuals and entities connected to the theft and resale of Ukrainian grain", placing sanctions on those it said were shipping grain out of occupied territory "badged as Russian goods".
But western powers have avoided imposing blanket restrictions on Russian food exports as they have done with other goods such as oil.
"It's not enough," said Vladyslav Vlasyuk, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency and the deputy head of Task Force UA, an interagency group tracing and confiscating assets of those under sanctions.
The Russians have a simple business model in occupied Ukraine, he said: "They just get all the grain they can, make forged documents [saying] it came from Russia, then they export it." Mike Lee, a consultant on crop production in the former Soviet Union, calculated that more than a fifth of the 29m tonnes of grain expected from Ukraine's most recent harvest was missing. As much as 5m tonnes may have been stolen by the Russians, he said, with the rest lost to war.
This story is from the December 12, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 12, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Stokes faces three months out but vows to fight back
Ben Stokes said he was prepared to go through \"blood, sweat and tears\" for England after it was announced he will undergo surgery in January and is out of action for at least three months with a torn hamstring.
'Huge blow' Saka's hamstring tear leaves Arsenal scrambling for options
Mikel Arteta has said he and Arsenal must find a way to cope without Bukayo Saka after confirming the England forward is set to be sidelined for \"many weeks\" due to the hamstring injury he sustained against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
'We have to change for the better': Kulusevski on what's next for Spurs
Forward says his side need to evolve after Sunday's painful defeat to leaders Liverpool
Juric vows 'death metal football' style for Saints
Southampton's new manager, Ivan Juric, says he plans to implement an aggressive style of play similar to death metal, his favourite genre of music.
Liverpool's lead at the top is due to much more than good luck
They may have faced some teams at the right time but Slot has improved players to the extent it is their title to lose
Amorim given free rein over Rashford call
Ruben Amorim's exclusion of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United's past three match-day squads is solely his decision, with the head coach under no pressure from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's football department.
'We do what the police cannot': Fanprojekte face battle to survive
A German court case threatens the existence of projects that play a crucial social-work role with football fans
'It's opened my mind': inside the FA's all-female coaching course
WSL stars past and present have signed up to an A licence course that aims to boost the number of female coaches
Clayton edges past Mansell in sudden-death thriller
Jonny Clayton won a sudden-death leg in the deciding set to edge past Mickey Mansell and book his place in the third round of the PDC world championship after an epic contest at Alexandra Palace.
Fury ceased clowning to push Usyk to his limits but this special champion always finds a new gear
Once upon a time, the world stopped to watch when the heavyweight championship was at stake. Oleksandr Usyk's unanimous-decision triumph over Tyson Fury in Riyadh on Saturday was barely noticed.