Ukraine Loses Over 8Mln Tonnes of Crop Storage Since February 2022 - US NGO

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Ukraine has lost almost 8.5 million tonnes of crop storage since the beginning of Russia's special military operation, US non-governmental organization The Ukraine Conflict Observatory said in a report on Thursday.

"It has lost at least 8.41 million tonnes because of the invasion, or 14.57% of its pre-war certified grain storage capacity. At least three million tonnes of storage have been damaged since February of 2022 and six million tonnes or more of storage (including nearly one million tonnes of damaged storage) were in Russia-controlled areas as of September 6," the organization said in a fact-sheet.

Approximately 1 in 6 or about 15% of Ukraine’s crop storage facilities have been either destroyed, damaged, or controlled by Russia, it added.

On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed an UN-brokered initiative to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Black Sea ports. Three key Ukrainian ports — Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne — were unblocked to resume exports. The Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center (JCC) was set up to monitor the implementation of the initiative, including ensuring that cargo ships do not carry unauthorized goods or personnel.

Since the signing of the deal, only 28% of grain shipments from Ukraine went to low-income countries, and 44% to high-income countries, according to a report of the JCC dated September 12. Russia's envoy to the UN has said the part of the deal concerning Russian food exports is not working altogether, which may lead to the termination of the agreements.