The Great Russian Grain Robbery?

by Stephen Lendman

In its latest fake news edition, the self-styled newspaper of record NYT turned reality on its head — once again — with the following infowar rubbish headline:

"Russia Seeks Buyers for Plundered Ukraine Grain (sic)"

Citing Biden regime Russophobes, the Times recited the following state-approved bald-faced Big Lies, saying:

"Russia bombed, blockaded and plundered the grain production capacity of Ukraine (sic), which accounts for one-tenth of global wheat exports (sic), resulting in dire forecasts of increased hunger and of spiking food prices around the world."

Fact check:

Russia is one of the world's leading grain producers.

Besides current large-scale production for domestic use and export to world markets, it'll produce around 50 million tons of grain from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.

If Russian vessels weren't banned  from accessing US, UK, EU ports, this action would ease growing food insecurity and crisis conditions in their countries.

Potential Ukrainian grain exports are minor by comparison.

They include about 5 - 6 million tons of wheat and around 7 million tons of corn — a small volume relative to what's needed globally.

Yet Russia supports these exports.

If Ukraine demines its offshore waters, Russian humanitarian corridors will guarantee the safety of commercial vessels coming into and departing from the country to deliver grain to designated markets.

Russia is ready to export its own grain and other commodities to the West.

It cannot do it unobstructed because of US/Western sanctions war.

By imposing and enforcing restrictions on Russian vessels, the empire of lies and complicit Western regimes are willfully creating famine conditions in parts of the world.

They manufactured food crisis conditions — as seen by soaring prices and inadequate supplies — in their own countries by waging sanctions war on Russia.

If Russia was freely able to export grain to nations in need of what it can supply, growing dire conditions would be greatly alleviated.

On June 3, Russia's Foreign Ministry said the following:

"Due to the EU's ongoing insinuations that blame Russia for provoking a global food and energy crisis, we consider it necessary to provide detailed explanations on the state of affairs in this area." 

"The presented materials show that these rabid Russophobic accusations are groundless." 

The US, UK and EU bear full responsibility…for panic in world markets" by manufacturing shortages and high prices. 

What's going on has nothing to do with Russia's SMO in Ukraine.

Rising food prices in the West began long before the start of its SMO.

In 2021, wheat prices rose by 25%.

In February 2022, the cost of wheat was about 60% higher than the average price for the previous five years.

In the past two years, corn prices rose by over 160%, rapeseed by 175.

In the past year, the cost of fertilizer rose up to 300% in some areas.

According to the USDA, three kinds of fertilizer dramatically increased year-over-year.

Urea is 149% higher, liquid nitrogen 192% more expensive, and anhydrous ammonia is up 235%.

As fertilizer prices soar, so does the cost of food.

US/Western sanctions war on Russia made a bad situation worse.

Yet according to European Commission head von der Leyen's Big Lie:

"Russia is intentionally destroying Ukrainian agriculture, including machinery, granaries and infrastructure (sic)."

Fact: US/Western regimes are willfully and maliciously turning truth on its head as part of their sanctions and proxy hot war on Russia.

They're responsible for creating food shortfalls.

And this Big Lie by European Council head Michel, falsely saying:

"Russia is blocking grain supplies via the Black Sea (sic)."

No such blockade exists.

And this von der Leyen rubbish:

"Russia is weaponizing grain stocks and reducing grain and fertilizer supplies in response to Western sanctions."

Russia promotes the opposite of her bald-faced Big Lie.

Notably since its SMO began, Russia has been delivering many thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to liberated parts of Ukraine, Donbass and other countries in need of food and related help.

And this perversion of reality by the EU's so-called foreign policy chief Borrell:

"EU sanctions against Russia do not affect on food security, since the agricultural sector of the Russian economy is not the target of EU restrictions (sic)."

Blocking entry of Russian vessels into Western ports — and other economic/financial restrictions — prevents delivery of grain to their markets.

And this Big Lie by European energy commissioner Simson, falsely saying:

Russia's SMO "led to an unprecedented rise of energy prices (sic)."

US/Western sanctions on Russian energy bear full responsibility for soaring prices.

And this Borrell rubbish:

"Russia is using energy supplies for political purposes (sic)."

In 2021 Russia provided 40% of EU natural gas, 27% of oil and 46% of coal imports.

Some Russian gas and most of its oil are now banned from EU markets.

According to current plans, all of its coal will be boycotted by August.

Instead of setting the record straight about what's going on and likely to worsen, the NYT falsely claimed the following:

"The Kremlin is trying to profit from plunder by selling stolen (Ukrainian) wheat to drought-stricken countries in Africa (sic)."

As part of its mass-extermination of unwanted millions and billions of people by kills shots designed for this purpose, the Biden regime and complicit Western vassals want famine conditions in thirdworldized countries to contribute to the death toll they seek.

Western regimes notoriously blame other nations for their own crimes of war and against humanity.

At this time, invented enemy No. One Russia is falsely blamed for all sorts of things it has nothing to do with.

A Final Comment

Likely on orders from their master in Washington, European vassal states bordering Serbia closed their airspace to Sergey Lavrov's aircraft en route to Belgrade. 

An appropriate Russian response will likely follow the political slap in the face.