Grain exports in Ukraine by pro-Russian troops are continuing on a large scale, according to the pro-Moscow administration of the Zaporizhzhya region.
The comments came from the military administration of the south-eastern Ukrainian region, which is partially occupied by Russian troops at the moment.
"More than 100 wagons have already been shipped, and another contract for 150 000 tons has been signed with a grain trader," Yevhen Balytskyi, the head of the military administration, wrote on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
He did not say where the shipments were headed, but they can only be transported to Crimea or Russia by train. Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain for months. Moscow has denied this.
One wagon can transport up to 70 tons of grain, according to the Ukrainian side. According to Balytskyi, Moscow is also planning to ship some 100,000 tons of grain from the southern Ukrainian port of Berdyansk, which Russian forces occupied shortly after invading Ukraine in late February.
Before the war, Ukraine was one of the largest exporters of grain worldwide. According to Kyiv, over 20 million tons are stuck in the country due to the Russian invasion and blockades of its seaports.
