Experts estimate how much grain the Russian Federation has stolen from Ukraine

The Russian Federation has stolen at least $1bn worth of Ukrainian grain, according to a NASA Harvest study using satellite imagery, Bloomberg writes.

Nearly 6m tonnes of wheat, about 88 per cent of the winter crops sown in the occupied territories, were harvested from the territories not controlled by Ukraine, and the unharvested areas were mostly located along the frontline.

Note that almost a quarter of Ukraine's wheat is grown on land that Russia has temporarily occupied. And NASA Harvest's estimates refer to wheat and so far exclude other crops or foodstuffs stored in warehouses

Experts note that Russian ships have exported stolen grain to various countries, including Libya and Iran, but it is difficult to estimate the volumes because shippers conceal the origin of the cargoes.

The NASA Harvest team estimated that Ukrainian farmers harvested 26.6m tonnes of wheat this year, several million tonnes more than predicted. Ukraine's largest producer HarvEast said that all the winter crops it planted on its land in Donetsk Region were harvested this summer by the occupying forces.