russian Attacks on Vessels and Grain Theft: Ukraine Raises the Issue at the UN

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa on September 1 during a meeting of the UN General Assembly, Ukrinform’s own correspondent reports.

According to her, such attacks threaten global food security.

«Over the past few years, russia has damaged more than 1,050 port infrastructure facilities and attacked more than 240 civilian vessels, while in the summer of 2026 alone it attacked more than 50 vessels. Nearly 30 people were killed,» she noted.

The official pointed out that around 90% of Ukrainian grain and oilseed exports are carried out through Black Sea ports, while alternative routes cannot match maritime transport in terms of volume.

Recent attacks have already disrupted international food supplies and caused concern among major food-importing countries.

«There is absolutely no justification under international law for these completely unlawful actions by russia,» she said. «The international community must respond appropriately by increasing pressure aimed at stopping russian terror and protecting millions of people around the world.»

Betsa also pointed to russia’s systematic theft of Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories.

In 2025 alone, more than 2 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain worth around $400 million were illegally seized and subsequently exported to foreign markets, including with the help of the so-called shadow grain fleet.

Stolen Ukrainian agricultural products must be seized, not legitimised,» the Deputy Minister concluded.