Reports of the occupation of farms, pillage of harvest, and appropriation of agribusinesses emerged from the inception of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.[1] In parallel, Russia’s armed forces carried out targeted strikes on agricultural storage and logistics infrastructure in territories they were unable to occupy and control.[2] Failing to take Kyiv in April of 2022, Russia managed to occupy most of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia[3] Oblasts,[4] and parts of the territory of Mykolaiv and Kharkiv Oblasts. Simultaneously, Russia continued its offensive in Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts, which had been partially occupied since 2014.

Since early 2022, Project Expedite Justice (PEJ) has supported small-scale agrarian farmers and larger entities in Ukraine by documenting international crimes and harms (e.g., attacks against the civilian population, destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, pillaging, plunder of resources, improper mining, destruction of the environment, sanctions violations, etc.) and facilitating their access to accountability mechanisms. This includes preparing analyses and legal briefs on the crimes committed throughout the country. These are based on direct investigative activities and information collection to support judicial cases.

The present assessment complements a series of 6 reports PEJ in Ukraine produced,[5] each detailing the timeline and modus operandi of the policy of pillage that Russian occupying authorities executed in Ukraine’s occupied territories. This report presents a snapshot of the current status of the production of agricultural commodities on Ukraine’s territory and of the land and agricultural losses due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
 

One of Russia’s objectives in its invasion of Ukraine is to undermine its economic and agricultural potential. Russia has furthered this objective through the degradation of Ukraine’s arable land,[6] in addition to pillage and property seizure.[7] The degradation of Ukraine’s arable land serves two purposes: on the one hand, it benefits Russia’s illegal occupation economy through the over-exploitation of Ukraine’s crops, and on the other, it undermines Ukraine’s economic potential by severely damaging the land, rendering it unusable in case of liberation.
 

Russia damages Ukrainian arable land through the use of exploitative methods that strain the land. For example, Russia organizes harvest campaigns to collect extensive agricultural goods, primarily wheat. In 2023, Russia harvested more than nine million tons, and in 2024, more than seven million tons of wheat. Besides aggressive harvesting, the Russians overuse and exhaust the soil without replenishing its fertility, overuse heavy machinery, and neglect proper irrigation. These practices will have long-lasting consequences on land productivity.
 

Moreover, ongoing strikes and shelling, especially near the front lines, extensively damage Ukraine’s agricultural lands and lead to land abandonment as farmers escape from danger. After they leave, the Russians plant landmines, which deter returning farmers from growing crops and damage the land’s agricultural potential.
 

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has lost 14% of its arable land, and the sown area for cereals, legumes, and oilseed crops has declined dramatically, showing a decrease in Ukraine’s agricultural potential. The images and graphs below present the impact of the Russian degradation of Ukrainian land.