Russia Reportedly Targeting Food Storage Sites In Ukraine With Artillery

The actions of Russian soldiers invading Ukraine could cause a major famine across the region. According to a report by CNN, Russian troops are stealing farm equipment and thousand of tons of grain from farmers as they move through contested areas of Ukraine.

"Chechen soldiers, fighting for Russia, act like criminals in the 1990s. First, they offer to buy grain for a ridiculously low price. But if you don't agree, they take everything from you for nothing," Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov told CNN. "The scale of looting is simply overwhelming."

Fedorov said he saw Russian trucks carting away the grain towards Crimea, where it will likely be sold by Russia for around $400 a ton.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said that an estimated 400,000 tons of grain had been stolen by Russian forces.

In addition, the Russians are also reportedly targeting food storage sites, putting millions of tons of corn and wheat exports in jeopardy. Anatoliy Detochka told CNN that an artillery strike decimated his $5 million silo, destroying 17,000 tons of wheat and 8,500 tons of sunflower seeds, worth an estimated $13 million.

The United Nations World Food Program made a desperate appeal to reopen the ports along the Black Sea to food exports. The docks have been under constant attack during the two-month-long war. 

"If we do not harvest (the) next crop, the effect of hunger can be significant. And the main export route is ports which are currently blocked," Fedorov said.