Over the course of two years, the enemy has systematically destroyed our agrarian sector, turning fertile Ukrainian fields into scorched and mined territories, cutting off grain and agricultural produce transportation routes, shelling ports and infrastructure, thereby threatening global food security. The consequences of such criminal policies reverberate in various corners of our planet.
Together with the State Archival Service of Ukraine, we organised an important diplomatic meeting to demonstrate that Russia is not the first to turn food into weapons.
We presented research on the impact of war on global food security, and our colleagues, historians, and experts showcased unique archival materials from the times of the Holodomor, confirming the gravity of Russia’s criminal policy.
The event was held at the Central Archive of Public Associations and Ukrainian Studies.
The participants had the opportunity to see a unique archival artefact — a sample of bread from 1932 and 1933, preserved by Oleksii Sorokin from Kyiv and found in his archival criminal case. They also viewed original archival documents from the archives describing the events of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, as well as the propaganda film chronicle Stalin’s Harvest (1936) and a selection of photographic documents.
According to Anatoliy Khromov, Head of the Archive Service of Ukraine, during the Holodomor, the world remained silent about the genocide of Ukrainians, so now diplomats need to convey the truth to their countries about what Russia did then and what it is doing now.
The author of the research, co-founder of Barva Invest company, Bohdan Kostetsky, spoke about the damage Russia is causing to the agrarian industry.
According to him, as a result of the war, Ukraine’s agro-industry has suffered direct losses totalling over $80 billion, over 30% of our territory is contaminated with explosive substances, and our agrarian facilities suffer from constant shelling.
Hanna Hopko shared her thoughts that only the complete victory of Ukraine and the full demilitarisation of the Black Sea can stop Russia and guarantee regional and global food security.
“We are grateful to our partners for their assistance, but we need protection — our ports, our logistical routes, agrarian infrastructure are under constant attack by the enemy. Ukraine needs air defence systems, fighter jets, and long-range missiles to defend itself and win,”
— said Hanna.
To read the full text of the study, please follow the link.