According to an investigation by the Associated Press, the Russian Federation has established a task force to harvest and sell grain from occupied Ukrainian farmland.  It is estimated that to date, the scam has netted $550 million to support the invasion of the eastern provinces.  Satellite imagery and marine transponder data has confirmed that as many as 40 vessels making 50 voyages have carried commodities, including wheat, from Russian-occupied areas of the Ukraine to ports in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.

This activity by Russia represents a war crime and state-operated enterprises in Russia and Syria will face sanctions from the U.S. and the E.U.  In addition to theft, Russia has wantonly destroyed almost 15 percent of Ukrainian grain storage capacity and damaged port installations.  Farmers, even in the west of the nation, are under threat of bombardment and the ongoing war has reduced labor available to cultivate and harvest the 2022 crop that was reduced by at least 25 percent.