Russia's Black Sea Blockade Threatens Ukrainian Harvest

Ukrainian farmer Serhiy Rybalko is facing a crisis as Russia's Black Sea blockade traps his harvest. His farm in Zhytomyr Region, Ukraine has been severely impacted by the Russian campaign of attacks, which have nearly halted agricultural exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

Rybalko lost two-thirds of his land when Russia occupied a large part of southern Ukraine at the start of the invasion in 2022. Now, he is struggling to export his crops due to the blockade, which has left him with nowhere to send his grain.

'There is nowhere to send this grain,' Rybalko said. 'This is a complete disaster for farmers.'

Ukraine is among the world's largest producers of wheat, corn, and sunflower seeds, with around 90% of its exports going through the Black Sea. The country's wheat harvesting campaign is at its peak, and Rybalko's grain storage is already nearly full.

Felix Fyodorov, a farm director in the Kharkiv region, also expressed concerns about the blockade. 'The harvest compared to last year's - and the wheat too - is almost twice as good,' he said. 'But prices are half of what they were last year.'