Denys Shmyhal, the Prime Minister, said that Russia had stolen more than 180,000 metric tons (or 1.8 million tons) of Ukrainian grain from the port of Mariupol, in Donetsk Oblast, alone. By mid-2023, it is estimated that Russia will have stolen 6,000,000 metric tons (or 1.8 million tons) of grain harvested on occupied Ukrainian territory. “Kyiv lost large swathes in Ukraine‘s east and south to Russian occupation. Despite this, Ukraine exported almost 100 million tonnes from January to September. Shmyhal stated that “we exported as much as we did in the entire year last year” in just nine months. Evidence compiled by the human rights law firm Global Rights Compliance showed that Moscow was prepared to steal grain supplies and target food infrastructure months before the full scale invasion. Ukraine was the largest wheat producer in the world before the invasion. As Russia canceled the Black Sea Grain Deal in July 2023 Kyiv opened up a new route the following month. Originally envisioned as a corridor for humanitarian purposes to allow ships stranded in the area since the beginning of the war to leave, it has grown into a full trade route.
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