It is possible that Russia's actions regarding the theft of Ukrainian grain are aimed not only at looting national values but also at causing famine, which is a prohibited method of warfare and a war crime. This was stated by QIRIM.News by the head of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol Igor Ponochovny.
"In the context of armed conflict, international humanitarian law obliges the occupying power, the Russian Federation, to provide normal living conditions for the civilian population in the occupied territories. This concerns the provision of basic needs, including food, drinking water, and normal sanitary and hygienic conditions”, the ministry stressed.
Ponochovny said that in the framework of open criminal proceedings the information on the possible entry of ships with stolen Ukrainian grain into the seaports of the Republic of Turkey is being checked.
It is noted
that the very fact of grain theft is a serious violation of international
humanitarian law, which is dealt with by the prosecutor's offices of the
regions where the theft took place.
Since July
2014, Ukraine has officially closed all ports in the occupied territory of the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the harbors of the
peninsula are closed to international shipping. The entry of ships under a
foreign flag into the closed seaports of Crimea, law enforcement agencies
describe as actions that undermine the sovereignty of Ukraine and violate
national law, which entails criminal liability of shipowners, operators, and
captains.
