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The intelligence arm of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Russian ships carrying stolen Ukrainian grain had arrived in the Mediterranean Sea and were likely headed to Syria, Fortune reported.
“From there, the grain can be supplied to other Middle Eastern countries,” the ministry said. The May 12 report followed anecdotal evidence from the United Nations the previous week that Russian troops were seizing Ukrainian grain, including wheat, barley and rye. Confirming the UN allegations, Ukrainian officials said the Russian military was “stealing grain en masse” from farmers in Russian-occupied territory, Fortune wrote.
At the time of the report, a Russian ship carrying Ukrainian grain was reportedly in the Mediterranean, seeking to sell its goods to the highest bidder.
On May 10, satellite imagery and data company Planet Labs captured photographs of the Russian-flagged bulk carrier Matros Pozynich docking in Latakia, Syria’s main port city. After analysis by The Associated Press (AP), the satellite imagery found that the ship in the photographs shared characteristics with the Matros Pozynich, the report said.
The ship is carrying 27,000 tonnes of grain, according to shipping tracking site FleetMon, and left port on the Russian-administered Crimean peninsula in late April.
Originally headed for the port of Alexandria, Egypt, according to FleetMon, the Matros Pozynich changed course to Syria after a request from Ukrainian officials to Egypt that the country not accept the ship and its stolen cargo. In a previous report by the Wall Street Journal, two Russian ships carrying stolen Ukrainian wheat were reportedly turned away from Egyptian ports, a Ukrainian official stationed in Egypt told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, high stocks and a severe shortage of traditional storage options were forcing Ukrainian grain producers to look for alternatives ahead of the marketing year, AgriCensus reported market sources as saying.
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Based on information on storage capacity in eight regions of the country, Ukraine could face a storage deficit of up to 20 million tons due to damage to the domestic silo network due to the war that began in late February or that are now under Russian control, according to the May 19 report.
Total pre-war domestic storage capacity was estimated at 57-60M tons, according to market observers.
There was a significant carryover of stocks from the 2021/22 marketing year following Ukraine’s record harvest. However, logistical problems prevented the export of this material, the report said, and in addition, a decent harvest was forecast for this year.
Due to the situation, Ukrainian producers have turned to non-traditional indoor silo storage methods, including the use of silo bags. This storage method was used in Ukraine on a small scale before the outbreak of war, AgriCensus wrote, but demand for it had recently increased due to a lack of available storage space.
Translated with the free version of the translator – www.DeepL.com/Translator
