Russian oligarch Alexander Tkachov's company, Agrocomplex, has seized around 400,000 acres of farmland belonging to three Ukrainian agribusinesses in Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Tkachov, an ally of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, is a former agriculture minister and governor of Russia's Krasnodar Krai.
The Ukrainian authorities are investigating the theft of farmland by Tkachov’s company, according to the newspaper.
“Russia is taking over the economy in occupied territories and using that control to help control the whole area,” Dmytro Skorniakov, CEO of Ukrainian agricultural company HarvEast Holding, said.
HarvEast has lost 100,000 acres in Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, while Nibulon, another agribusiness firm, has lost 50,000 acres, and Agroton has accused Agrocomplex of stealing 250,000 acres.
As of Nov. 10, an estimated 2.8 million metric tons of grain and 1.2 million tons of oil seeds with a combined value of $1.87 billion had been destroyed or stolen due to Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to the Kyiv School of Economics.
Research using satellite imagery from NASA’s food security and agriculture program showed that Russia had collected almost 6 million tons of wheat from occupied territories, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 3.
Swiss Prosecutor General Stefan Blaettler said in July that selling looted raw materials could constitute a war crime.
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Monday, January 19
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"NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that 'you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland,'" Trump said, accusing Denmark of being unable to counter it.
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Moscow is currently studying the proposal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to state news agency TASS.
Czechia will not sell its L-159 light combat aircraft to Ukraine, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Jan. 19, despite Czech President Petr Pavel advocating for the move.
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Russia struck energy infrastructure overnight in “several regions,” cutting power in five oblasts as freezing temperatures add strain to Ukraine’s grid, Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said.
According to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, the Russian official will meet Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, on Jan. 20 to discuss the Washington-backed peace plan for Ukraine.
Among the Russian air defense systems that endured "destruction" are S-300, S-350, and S-400 air defense systems, as well as Russian anti-aircraft missile systems BUK-M1 and BUK-M2, and Pantsir-S1 and Pantsir-S2 air defense systems, according to the SBU.
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Disconnecting Ukraine's nuclear power plants would take the crisis one step further — Ukrainians would be fully cut off from electricity and heating in subzero temperatures.
Monday, January 19
Ukrainian and U.S. officials will continue peace proposal discussions during the World Economic Forum in Davos, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said Jan. 18.
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After quickly hitting the initial target, organizers raised the goal to 2 million zloty ($550,000) — a figure that has since been surpassed, with donations now exceeding 2.4 million zloty (around $660,000).
The European Union is preparing possible retaliation against the United States, including up to 93 billion euros ($101 billion) in tariffs or restrictions on U.S. companies operating in the bloc, amid escalating tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump over Greenland, the Financial Times reported Jan. 18.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told participants that Russia shows no readiness to end the war.
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