The harvest in the occupied Ukrainian territories is becoming increasingly important for Russian agriculture, sometimes it is exported. Ukrainian agricultural companies feel cheated and demand more pressure on Russia.
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Ruslan Masurenko stands on the grounds of his grain warehouse in the Kyiv region. He is currently watching several tons of flaxseed being loaded onto a truck, ready for export to Europe.
The managing director of the Ukrainian agricultural company Harveast is pleased with this year’s harvest. “There was a very dry month, but we also plant many winter crops that don’t need to take up as much moisture,” says Masurenko. In the Kyiv region, his company cultivates 25,000 hectares of land, an area as large as about 35,000 football fields. Most of it is planted with corn and sunflowers, but rapeseed and wheat are also grown.
From Donetsk to Mariupol to Kyiv
Masurenko is originally from Mariupol. With the start of the Russian large-scale invasion in 2022, he and the company left the region in southeastern Ukraine. It was the second time Harveast had to move. Until 2014, the headquarters was in Donetsk. Originally, the company owned 200,000 hectares of land there.
Today, these areas are controlled by Russia, which occupies the eastern territories of Ukraine. “These feelings are hard to describe. It’s so hurtful and incomprehensible,” says Masurenko. Russia now controls the farmland and does business with the grain, which is nothing more than banditry.
“13 Million Tons We Lose Every Year”
Ukraine is called the breadbasket of Europe. Grain is the country’s number one export good, accounting for 24 percent of all Ukrainian exports last year, according to the UN. Despite the war, Ukraine was able to increase its exports again. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural products worth almost 21 billion euros were exported in 2024, bringing Ukraine close to the level before the Russian large-scale invasion.
This was also made possible by military successes of the Ukrainian naval forces in the Black Sea. This is where most of the grain is shipped. Russia had temporarily blocked the Black Sea with its navy, but with self-developed sea drones, Ukraine fought back the trade route.
Nevertheless, Ukraine still cannot access part of its agricultural yield, as Russia continues to occupy about 20 percent of Ukraine. “If we compare the yield in 2021, before the active phase of the war began, with today’s, then we are losing 13 million tons a year,” says Oleh Chomenko of the Association of Ukrainian Agribusiness UKAB. That’s quite a large volume compared to the entire agricultural production.
Stolen Grain Becoming Increasingly Important for Russia
This stolen grain from the occupied territories is apparently becoming increasingly important for Russian agriculture. In 2024, the occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia delivered three percent of the total Russian grain harvest, the Ministry of Agriculture in Moscow announced. Without these regions, the harvest would have been even worse than it already was. Due to bad weather in the south of Russia, farmers suffered significant losses.
This year, the Russian occupation authorities alone in Luhansk expect about one million tons of grain for 2025, which would be twice as much as last year. Part of it is to be exported abroad.
Ukrainian agricultural expert Oleh Chomenko considers the numbers to be underestimated. “In Luhansk and Donetsk, agriculture was very active and also developed very strongly. The occupation authorities can manipulate facts and figures to prevent possible sanctions.”Similar Posts
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Lowell Hagan closely follows international affairs. From geopolitical conflicts to economic cooperation, he provides context to help readers better understand global dynamics. His clear, structured style gives meaning to global news.
