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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Wednesday, October 8
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According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russian forces launched 183 Shahed-type attack and decoy drones overnight.
Indian Oil Corp, the country's leading state-owned refiner, has recently purchased two to three cargoes of Russian oil using Chinese yuan, sources told Reuters.
The Bavarian cabinet approved the law, which grants local police the authority to destroy drones if deemed necessary to ensure public safety.
The number includes 1,010 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
The Oktyabrsky District Court of Tambov ruled in favor of Russia's prosecutors' office and nationalized the assets of regional mobile operator Lanta, the court announced on Oct. 7.
Occupation authorities in Crimea are checking students' phones in schools for content and settings that may indicate a pro-Ukrainian position, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported on Oct. 7.
Belarus’ rail exports of gasoline to Russia surged fourfold in September as Russia has dealt with fuel shortages, Reuters reported on Oct. 7.
Wednesday, October 8
The World Bank has cut Ukraine's 2026 GDP growth projections by more than 3 points, citing the ongoing impact of Russia's invasion on the economy.
Ukraine plans to increase natural gas imports by 30% after recent Russian strikes caused major damage to its energy infrastructure, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said Oct. 7.
Estonia's State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas said Ivan Dmitriev, an active member of the Estonian Defense Forces who handled drone operations, posed a significant threat to Estonia's security.
"From our point of view, the only people who should be ashamed and should remain silent on the issue of Nord Stream 2 are those who decided to build it," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The announcement comes, as Russia stepped up its campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure in recent days.
A train carrying military cargo derailed in Russia's Leningrad Oblast following an explosion early on Oct. 7, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
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