The Ukrainian Agri Council has claimed that Russian drones have targeted a farm in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, killing at least 100 cows and destroying a number of farm sheds in the process.
The attack was identified to have taken place in the early hours of yesterday morning (Monday), April 28, in the village of Mokra Rokytna.
The farm, which was said to house 281 cows in total, reportedly belonged to a member of the Ukrainian Agri Council, which confirmed the details in a statement published to its website.
According to chair of the Ukrainian Agri Council, Andrii Dykun, the Russian Federation used 10 strike drones to conduct the attack on the farm, where at least 100 cows have been subsequently confirmed as dead.
Additionally, the shelling reportedly damaged a calf barn, three cowsheds, storage facilities, an administrative building, and agricultural equipment on the farm.
Andrii Dykun said: “The Russian Federation continues their reign of terror on the civilian population and the targeted destruction of Ukrainian agro-enterprises.
“The farm had 281 dairy cows. At least 100 animals were killed by Russian strikes. The exact number will be known when the rubble is cleared.”
According to director of Agro Service SG, the farm’s proprietor, Oleksandr Krasovsky, all the farm’s buildings were destroyed in the attack, which was not the first attack on the farm.
“Unfortunately, this is the second attack on our enterprise. The first attack took place on February 23, 2024. Six Shahed drones flew in at night. We rebuilt everything and repaired everything,” Krasovsky said.
“This time, some of the Shaheds had shrapnel charges. Many animals have shrapnel wounds to their necks and stomachs.”
Responding to this recent attack on an agricultural premises, a spokesperson for the Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland, first secretary, Dmytro Shchedrin, claimed that attacks of this nature have become “typical” occurances in the Kharkiv region, due to its proximity to the Russian border.
“Unfortunately, it is a common practice of the Russian aggressors to target farms and other agricultural objects in Ukraine.
“Agriculture is still a big part of the Ukrainian economy, with the latest estimation of around 10%, and Russia tries to put additional pressure on the Ukrainian economy.
“The Kharkiv region is close to the Ukrainian-Russian border. This is why the Russian attacks are conducted here with a wide variety of missiles, drones and artillery,” Shchedrin explained.
Cost of war to the Ukrainian agri sector
According to a recent report published by the World Bank Group, titled ‘Ukraine Fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment’, the total damage to the Ukrainian agriculture sector since the start of the full-scale invasion, amounts to US$11.2 billion.
This damage includes the partial or complete destruction of storage facilities, fisheries and aquaculture and perennial crops, as well as the forced slaughter of livestock.
It also encompasses the destruction and theft of machinery and equipment and the theft of inputs and outputs.
The report indicated that the total losses suffered by the farming industry in Ukraine as a result of the war with Russia, amounts to US$72.7 billion, and comprise of the following:
- Loss of farm income (due to lower or forgone production);
- Lower farm gate prices (due to export logistic disruptions);
- Higher farm production costs (due to higher prices of fertilisers and fuel);
- The cost of land recultivation after mine-related surveying, clearance, and land release operations;
- The halt of fishing operations;
- The cost of debris removal from damaged and destroyed agricultural storage facilities.
