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Grain seizures in Ukraine evoke memories of 1930s famine
[Irish Times] Things have gone from bad to worse on Oleg’s farm in Kherson in southern Ukraine since Russia’s invasion 10 weeks ago.Occupying forces took away some of his grain and stole all the machinery, including trucks, low-loaders and jeeps — which his staff have seen in local towns ferrying Russian army personnel and equipment. They commandeered his house and farm buildings. Ukraine’s government has accused Russia of trying to destroy its agriculture sector by stealing valuable grain stocks and machinery, deliberately bombing farms and warehouses and blockading its Black Sea ports to deprive it of exports earnings and farmers of liquidity. The country’s grain exports have more than halved so far in May from the same period a year ago, according to the latest data from the agriculture ministy. There are multiple examples around the country of grain elevators and warehouses being bombarded. Around Kyiv, Russian forces destroyed distribution centres and warehouses to try to disrupt the provision of food to the capital. But it is the confiscation of grain in territories controlled by Moscow that is the most emotive issue. It has drawn parallels with the Soviet policy of crop confiscations coupled with the confinement of peasants to their villages in the 1930s. Some four million people died in the ensuing famine in Ukraine, known as the Holodomor, or death by starvation. Posted by: Matt 2022-05-13 |
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