Russia looting steel, shops, grains and even steel from Ukraine
The CEO of Metinvest, the biggest steel producer in Ukraine, claims that Russia is swiping steel worth $600 million from mills and ports. The company is the owner of the Azovstal factory, which provided the final shelter for Ukrainian forces and citizens following Mariupol’s destruction during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov, some of the steel being transported and sold in Russia was destined for consumers in the UK.
The steel was reportedly transferred to Russia and sold there or to nations in Asia and Africa, according to company insiders. Company is reported to be documenting as much of the theft as possible and was preparing to take future legal action. Thousands of tons of steel had been ordered by consumers in Europe, some of whom were in the UK, and they have already paid for it.
In a statement to the UK’s BBC news, Ryzhenkov stressed “What they’re doing is basically looting. They’re stealing not only our products, but also some of those products already belong to the European customers. So basically, they’re not only stealing from us, they’re stealing from the Europeans as well”.
In the assault on the Azovstal facility, which together with its sister plant Ilyich accounted for 40% of all steel output in Ukraine, 300 employees and 200 employees’ relatives died. Russia looting steel
Stealing grains
Photos and videos surfacing on the internet are increasing evidence that the Russian military have been stealing food from surrounding farms and shipping it around the world in territories they have occupied.
Despite being one of the top grain producers in the world, Russia has been blocking Ukraine’s important Black Sea ports. Russia blames Ukraine for planting mines in the water while denying any involvement in the blockade. Millions of people are at risk of becoming hungry as a result of the global shortage of Ukrainian grain.
20 million tons of grain intended for export are stuck in the nation. After this year’s crop, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, this might increase to 75 million tons. The war will also result in a lower harvest this year. The world’s fourth-largest exporter of grains is generally Ukraine. Normally, it produces 9% of the world’s wheat, 16% of the maize, and 42% of the sunflower oil. Russia looting steel
Grain deal and betrayal
The “mirror” agreements that Ukraine and Russia signed said to let Kyiv to begin grain shipments through the Black Sea. Millions of tons of grain that are currently being stuck in Ukraine by the fighting would have been exported.
But a few hours later the deal was signed, Moscow launched a missile attack on Odesa’s port in Ukraine. Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, criticized the attacks as a “spit in the face” of the men who helped broker the agreements: Turkish President Recep Erdogan and United Nations Secretary General António Guterres.
According to a statement from the Ukrainian military’s Southern Command, two missiles struck the port’s infrastructure and two others were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. It didn’t say whether anyone was hurt or what kind of damage was done.
Affect on other countries
The greatest exporter of wheat in the world, Russia, is seeing a decline in shipments.
Russian agriculture is not a target of Western sanctions, but the Moscow claims they have hurt exports by raising insurance costs and interfering with payments. European ports are not closed to Russian ships transporting agricultural goods. According to the African Development Bank, approximately 40% of Africa’s wheat is typically supplied by Ukraine and Russia. However, it claims that the war has caused a 30 million-ton food deficit in Africa. As a result, food costs have increased by 40% across the continent. In Nigeria, it has contributed to a price increase of up to 50% for basic foods like pasta and bread.
