Stolen Ukrainian grain is Africa’s food security concern too

The war in Ukraine might seem far from Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Yet one of its consequences reaches into a subject that matters deeply across Africa: food security. Ukraine is often described as one of the world’s breadbaskets and for good reason. Its wheat, maize, sunflower oil and other agricultural products have helped feed millions of people across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Even after Russia’s full-scale invasion, with fields mined, ports attacked and farmers working under extraordinary pressure, Ukraine has continued to export food. It has also supported vulnerable countries through the humanitarian Grain from Ukraine programme. That is why the removal of Ukrainian grain from territories occupied by Russia should not be seen as a distant European dispute. It is part of a much bigger question: whether the global food system can remain fair, lawful and trustworthy when grain taken from occupied land is moved through ports, mixed with other cargo, relabelled and sold abroad. Behind every shipment of grain there is a farmer, a field, a contract, a port, an insurer and a buyer. When that chain begins with occupation and theft, the damage does not stop at Ukraine’s borders. It affects confidence in maritime trade and creates risks for every country that depends on transparent food supply routes. Ukrainian authorities say Russia removed more than two million tonnes of grain from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine during 2025. From January to April alone, Ukrainian data indicates that 25 vessels made about 50 voyages from closed ports in occupied Ukrainian territories and transported more than 850 000 tonnes of grain. The ships, their owners and the commercial networks involved have reportedly been identified. The methods used to hide the origin of such grain are not new. Cargoes can be moved through closed ports, transferred at sea, mixed with other grain or accompanied by documents that disguise where the grain was grown. By the time the shipment reaches a foreign port, the paper trail might look cleaner than the reality behind it. One recent case caused particular concern in Kyiv. Despite Ukrainian warnings and a formal request for legal assistance, the vessel ASOMATOS was reportedly allowed to unload 26 900 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat in Abu Qir, Egypt. Ukrainian authorities say they had provided the necessary legal grounds and information to detain the vessel and the cargo. The case has become another example of how stolen Ukrainian grain can be pushed into international markets through ordinary commercial channels. For Ukraine, this is not only an economic loss. Grain carries a painful historical meaning. In 1932 and 1933, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine caused by the Soviet totalitarian regime. Grain and food were taken from Ukrainian villages while people starved. That memory has never disappeared. When grain is seized from occupied Ukrainian land today, many Ukrainians do not see only a commercial crime. They see an old method of oppression returning in a new form. Africa understands the weight of food better than most regions of the world. Hunger is never just a statistic. It affects children’s health, family stability, education, migration, security and the dignity of entire communities. Food can calm societies or destabilise them. It can support development or deepen dependence. For that reason, food security cannot be separated from law, transparency and trust. South Africa also understands the importance of clean supply chains. Farmers, port operators, shipping companies and insurers know that a product taken by force cannot become legitimate simply because it has passed through several hands. Any company or institution that accepts such cargo risks more than legal exposure or reputational damage. It risks becoming part of a trade that turns occupation into profit. The issue is therefore not only where the grain comes from. It is also what kind of global market Africa wants to rely on. A market where origin can be hidden, documents manipulated and stolen cargo quietly absorbed is not a safe market for food-importing countries. It is a market where force begins to shape trade. Ukraine has remained a food supplier even under wartime conditions. It has delivered grain to vulnerable countries and has tried to keep food moving despite attacks on ports and export routes. That matters for Africa because the continent needs reliable partners, lawful trade and stable access to food. It does not need a system in which stolen grain is allowed to move freely while the original owner is left to absorb the loss. There is also a practical risk. Ports, traders, insurers and shipping companies that become involved in questionable cargoes might face sanctions, investigations or reputational harm. Ukrainian authorities are documenting cases, trac