As Russian warships blockade Ukrainian ports, Russian officials have begun accusing the government in Kyiv of creating a global food crisis.
The status quo described by Blinken nearly two weeks ago has not materially changed. In an interview withconducted on June 18, Dmitri Barinov, deputy head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, provided further details.Barinov said,"and every year, that figure was growing."
An increase in overland shipments is helping to alleviate the glut, but trucks and trains are not a panacea. Contrary to Russian reports, however, farmers have not resorted to burning last year's leftover grain. In addition to the Russian attacks that Kondratenko mentioned, Russian rockets also hit a railway maintenance facility in Kyiv on June 7. The facility was involved in servicing grain hoppers used for overland export of the Ukrainian harvest.