Miller Magazine Issue: 149 May 2022

84 COVER STORY MILLER / MAY 2022 a hostage of Putin’s army in Mariupol without electric- ity, heat, as well as without food for about 3 weeks, although currently, she is in a safe place. And now the world sees Russian atrocities in such Ukrainian cities, as Bucha, Irpin, Gostomel, Borodyanka, Mariu- pol and other cities. In the snap of a finger, Russia could ban wheat ex- port, telling, that it needs to save its own food securi- ty. For example, the Russian government announced the export ban on grains moving to the Eurasian Eco- nomic Union from 15 March 2022 set to run through to June 30 and covering wheat, rye, meslin (wheat and rye mixed), barley and corn. The bloc is com- prised of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia as full members, with Cuba, Moldova and Uzbekistan listed as observers. At the end of April 2022, all mass media started talking that the Russian army forced Kherson farmers to give 70% of their harvest to Russia, and was steal- ing and transporting grain and agricultural machinery to Russia. Thus, in April 2022, the Russian site www. sobranie.info posted news, that Russia is planning to replenish the fund for agricultural products at the ex- pense of supplies from Ukraine (namely, Kherson)… And it was named as “the implementation of the strategy of state support for the agro-industrial com- plex and the development of rural territories” of one region in Russia. On 10 May 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported, that shiploads of stolen Ukrainian grain have reached the Mediterranean Sea on Rus- sian-flagged vessels bound for the Middle East. “The most likely destination country is Syria,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s main intelligence directorate said in an update on stolen grain on social media. “From there, grain can be supplied to other countries in the Middle East.” As for Ukrainian corn, Russian propogandist’s Vladimir Solovyov TV show start- ed showing that Russia is considering supplying Ukrainian corn to China. EU bans Russian ships from entering EU ports, but wheat has green light Since 17 April 2022, EU ports have banned the entry of ships with Russian flag. The corresponding norm was adopted in the fifth package of sanctions against Russia for the war in Ukraine. However, the European Union has provided some certain excep- tions, when ships are allowed to pass: agricultural and food products, humanitarian aid and energy. In an aim to support Ukraine, at the start of March 2022, the EU removed the major Russian banks from the international financial messaging system Swift, which could delay payments to Russia for energy/agri ex- ports. One of real obstacles became the fact that at the end of April Reuters reported, that Western ship insurers are terminating cover for Russia's leading shipping company Sovcomflot as multiple sanctions start to bite, companies involved say, adding to the growing challenges for the state-owned company and Moscow's efforts to export oil and gas. Actual- ly, it is already since the middle of February, when it became hard to find vessel for transportation from both Ukraine and Russia as London’s marine insur- ance market added the Ukrainian and Russian wa- ters around the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to its list of areas deemed high risk as tensions persist in the region. Very limited number of shipowners can afford themselves to make voyages from Ukraine or Rus- sia, which spurred freight prices. For example, here is how freight developed for 6 kmt vessel from Reni to Marmara: February 2022 – 32 USD April 2022 – 50 USD May 2022 – 70 USD More copium for Russia? It is disgusting how Russian mass media are cover- ing the war in Ukraine. For example, Russian agency RIA News writes: “If I can't have it, no one will: the West to bring starvation to the poorest countries” [meaning that due to the sanctions against Russia, Russian wheat could not go to the Middle East and Africa]. But indeed, Russian wheat export is continu- ing steady to the Middle East and Africa. Here how the same problem is described in BBC: “Is the world threatened with hunger because of the Russian war in Ukraine?” Russian mass media is perverting the facts beyond recognition. It is unbelievable, but a recent survey by the independent pollster Levada showed over 80% Russian people support Russian “military’s actions in Ukraine”. At the start of March 2022, Russia signed a law, punishing “fake news” with up to 15 years in prison. The law was impos- ing fines or jail terms for spreading false information about the military and fines for people who publicly call for sanctions against Russia. Following that, on 10 March 2022, Russia's agriculture ministry suspended the publication of official export data to avoid "spec- ulation". It is scary, but we found that most of Russian traders, with whom Atria worked before the war, are supporting the bombing Ukrainians and have “their own truth”. Russian copium 2022 – this could be the topic of the doctoral dissertations nowadays.