War in Ukraine: Russia accused of stealing Ukrainian wheat, UK calls for investigation – The Independent

Britain’s agriculture secretary on Tuesday called for an immediate investigation into allegations that Russia stole grain from Ukraine. Victoria Prentis told an International Grains Council (IGC) conference in London that she had heard allegations of grain theft by Russia from so-called ‘very serious’ sources in the southern Kherson region from Ukraine. Ukraine, the world’s fourth-largest grain exporter, has seen its Black Sea ports blocked since Moscow’s invasion last February. About 20 million tons of grain are now stuck in the country, pushing global food prices to record highs. Russia has denied these accusations. Russia accused of sending stolen Ukrainian wheat to Syria The United Nations is trying to broker a deal to ship the grain from ports such as Odessa, something Russia appears willing to consider provided Western sanctions are met lifted. Turkey has also pushed for a deal between Russia and Ukraine to allow a resumption of grain exports from Ukrainian ports, but prospects look dim, with each side accusing the other of disrupting supplies. global food. Ukraine last week said Russia was shipping stolen grain to Turkey from Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. It also accused Russia of sending 100,000 tonnes of stolen Ukrainian wheat to Syria. Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kashka told the conference that the reputation of Russian companies has been damaged for several years because of their attempts to sell stolen grain. Read also: War in Ukraine: Did Russia steal Ukrainian wheat to send it to Syria? To read also: War in Ukraine: India bans the export of wheat, the G7 countries criticize a decision which risks “aggravating the world food crisis” To read also: War in Ukraine: wheat stocks at most low, prices up 6% after announcement of Indian embargo on exports