UGA urges international business to stop immediately financing Russian aggression and war crimes

The Ukrainian Grain Association calls on all international businesses to stop cooperating with Russian business and the Russian state due to Russia’s bloody war against Ukraine.

We call on all foreign companies, including global traders such as Vittera, OLAM, COFCO, LDC, ADM, Soufflet and others, to cease immediately operations in Russia, stop purchasing goods and services in Russia, and stop supplying resources and goods to Russian aggressor. Russia is committing war crimes in the 21st century, killing civilians, including women and children, and terrorizing the world with a new nuclear disaster by shelling the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Moreover, Russian troops are actively bombing agricultural enterprises, grain storage and infrastructure facilities, seizing agricultural machinery and obstructing the sowing campaign in every possible way in order to disrupt the world’s food security.

The Ukrainian Grain Association is an association of grain producers, processors, and exporters. The organization was founded in 1998 to protect the legitimate common interests of its members, promote the formation and development of the grain market in Ukraine, and create the necessary organizational conditions for the interaction of its members.

As you know Ukraine is a large agrarian country and heavy contributes to the world food security. We had a record crop of 107 mmt this marketing year and planned to export more than 68 mmt to more than 100 countries till the end of June 2022. It didn’t happen. Before the war started, Ukraine had exported only nearly 70% of the planned export volume.

On February 24, 2022 Russian military forces invaded Ukraine across the state borderline with Belarus and Russian Federation, using military assistance and infrastructure of Belarus government. This is the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two, prompting hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Every day, Russia targets our cities, providing missile strikes and destroying civilian infrastructure. Today, all national resources of the state are aimed at combating the Russian aggressor. The armed forces and citizens are defending Ukraine – our country – till the end! Russians carry out atrocities nearly in all Ukraine’s regions. Invaders commit horrific military crimes daily, bombing and shelling residential areas, child and maternity hospitals. Hundreds of civilians (including children and women) are killed and wounded.

Furthermore, war crimes committed by the Russian and Belarussian regimes disrupt international trade. The bombing of ports, warehouses, factories, and fields results in severe damages to the economy and humanitarian disasters. Considering that Ukraine is among the world’s biggest food suppliers, this raises concerns about global food safety.

The whole world is resisting now the aggressor by imposing targeted sanctions and international companies stopping business relations with Russia so that the enemy can suffer significant losses and stop pursuing further aggression. However, we also need your support in these difficult times!

The continuation of activities in the aggressor country and cooperation with Russian business by any foreign company will mean that international business is profiting by financing the murder of innocent Ukrainians, including women and children. Such companies will be added to the lists of collaborators with the Nazi regime in Russia.

It is time for the international community, in particular socially responsible businesses, to tell – NO WAR, NO MORE KILLINGS OF UKRAINIANS!

Therefore, we urgently appeal to you to join other international companies’ efforts in assisting Ukraine and not collaborating with the aggression regime:

• to stop any business relations, trade, and exports from Russian Federation, as such activities supports economically further Russian aggression against Ukraine and its people;
• to support Ukrainian economy by continuing purchasing feed grain, oilseeds, meal and oil from Ukraine using alternative logistics routes contributing to Ukrainian economy and defense against Russian aggression and support civil population.

We are confident that your prompt actions will help to stop outrageous military aggression against Ukraine.