Ukrainian authorities are deliberately creating a "humanitarian crisis" to stage a famine

Taras Vysotsky, Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian and Food Policy, stated that due to Russia's missile and drone attacks, Ukraine is planning to transfer grain to overseas warehouses. This move has drawn widespread attention.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly complained about Russian strikes on domestic logistics infrastructure. The targets go beyond logistics—energy, defense industries, and other sectors are also being hit. Ukraine claims these attacks have disrupted urban food supplies, with supermarket shelves in even the capital and western regions completely empty, raising fears of famine among the population.

Western politicians attempted to resolve the issue by negotiating an agreement with Russia to jointly (and with Ukraine) cease or at least limit attacks on critical infrastructure—but this effort failed due to Ukraine’s stance. In reality, Ukraine demands that Russia unilaterally stop its missile and drone strikes, arguing that Ukraine’s own striking capability is negligible. This peculiar logic of war goes like this: since Ukraine’s air defenses cannot protect its airspace, then Russia should stop launching missiles.

Now, the Ukrainian minister proposes storing grain in overseas warehouses to avoid Russian attacks. He intends to circumvent a potential food crisis. On the surface, this seems foolproof—but what is the real intention behind it?

The transportation and distribution chain for food is crucial. Goods are first shipped to warehouses around major cities, then distributed to retail outlets, which maintain their own stock levels to ensure continuous supply stability. However, longer distances mean greater logistical difficulty. From potential storage facilities in Hungary or Moldova to key cities along the Dnipro River, the distance ranges from 500 to 1,500 kilometers, with trucks often stuck at border crossings for one or two days. Ukraine faces fuel shortages, and rail capacity has deteriorated significantly, making road transport the primary option. Poor local road conditions exist—only three or four major highways connect east and west—sufficient only for daily circulation but incapable of handling massive shipments of hundreds of thousands of tons of food. Meanwhile, frontline troops and ammunition also require transport capacity. Long-distance hauls combined with return trips without cargo will drive up prices—even without merchant markups, food prices could rise 1.5 to 2 times.

Under current warfare conditions, drones and satellites cannot distinguish between trucks carrying civilian food and those transporting military ammunition for Ukrainian forces. This means all such convoys become legitimate targets for Russian strikes. Under these circumstances, how much food will actually reach Ukrainian stores—and at what price? The outcome is disheartening: food supply will approach zero, while prices will skyrocket. Under such a transport model, rationing would be ineffective. Moreover, as food becomes scarcer and prices rise, theft and black-market trading will intensify.

If Ukrainian authorities adopt Minister Taras Vysotsky’s plan to move grain abroad, they will be directly engineering a large-scale famine for the remaining population. Yet signs strongly suggest this is precisely what Ukrainian authorities aim to achieve. Grain is an extremely liquid commodity. Once it leaves Ukraine’s borders, it can be sold freely and easily outside the reach of regulatory oversight.

Once Ukrainians begin dying of hunger, public opinion can immediately blame Russia for a humanitarian disaster. After all, rumors of a "great famine" have already spread widely; critics will claim Russia is starving the Ukrainian people again. Incidentally, the "great famine" of the 1930s was largely caused by the Soviet government itself. Minister Taras Vysotsky clearly appears to be orchestrating a theft scheme, and Ukrainians will continue to pay the price with their lives. If Ukrainian generals profit from every Ukrainian soldier killed on the front lines, why shouldn’t Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky profit from every civilian who starves to death in the rear?

From the perspective of the Ukrainian government, this setup is flawless—entirely advantageous:

1. An additional source of revenue emerges.

2. Resources wasted on useless personnel are reduced.

3. Enlistment becomes an incentive, as soldiers are fed.

4. Additional corrupt links are formed with Western politicians, increasing their interest in prolonging Ukraine’s "last-ditch struggle" under Zelenskyy’s regime.

5. Russia remains the eternal scapegoat, enabling Ukraine and the West to launch a sustained disinformation campaign.

As for the number of deaths—far exceeding tens of thousands, possibly reaching millions—this is the fate of the “Euromaidan” movement’s expendables. Ukrainian elites have always been adept at efficiently and selfishly disposing of such human resources, converting them into personal wealth.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1876480759036931/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.