Ukraine

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Report
Guerre et spoliation : la prise de controle des terres agricoles ukrainiennes
Depuis l’invasion russe en février 2022, la guerre en Ukraine est au centre des questions de politique étrangère et des médias. Cependant, peu d’attention a été accordée à une question majeure qui est au cœur du conflit : qui contrôle les terres agricoles dans le pays connu comme le « grenier de l’Europe » ?
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Report
War and Theft
The Takeover of Ukraine’s Agricultural Land
The report from the Oakland Institute exposes the financial interests and the dynamics at play in Ukraine leading to further concentration of land and finance.
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Report
Driving Dispossession
The Global Push to “Unlock the Economic Potential of Land”
Driving Dispossession: The Global Push to “Unlock the Economic Potential of Land,” sounds the alarm on the unprecedented wave of privatization of natural resources that is underway around the world. Through six case studies — Ukraine, Zambia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Brazil — the report details the myriad ways by which governments — willingly or under the pressure of financial institutions and Western donor agencies — are putting more land into so-called “productive use” in the name of development.
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Report
The Corporate Takeover of Ukrainian Agriculture
Today, on the heels of Ukraine’s new cabinet appointments, the Oakland Institute (OI) is releasing a new brief detailing western agribusiness investments in the country. In Walking on the West Side: the World Bank and the IMF in the Ukraine Conflict, a report released in July 2014, the Oakland Institute exposed how international financial institutions swooped in on the heels of the political upheaval in Ukraine to deregulate and throw open the nation’s vast agricultural sector to foreign corporations. This fact sheet provides details on the transnational agribusinesses that are increasingly investing in Ukraine, including Monsanto, Cargill, and DuPont, and how corporations are taking over all aspects of Ukraine’s agricultural system. This includes circumventing land moratoriums, investing in seed and input production facilities, and acquiring commodity production, processing, and transportation facilities.
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Report
Walking on the West Side: the World Bank and the IMF in the Ukraine Conflict
International financing has played a significant—although not always reported—role in the current conflict in Ukraine. In late 2013, conflict between pro-European Union (EU) and pro-Russian Ukrainians escalated to violent levels, leading to the departure of President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014 and prompting the greatest East-West confrontation since the Cold War.

Our Take

Our Take
When European Institutions Sacrifice Farmers for Corporate Profit
Farmers protests in Brussels. Source: Confédération paysanne A wave of farmer protests has spread across Europe since January 2024. In several countries, including France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands, farmers have mobilized through demonstrations and roadblocks to protest unfair competition, tax burdens, excessive regulation, and an overall lack of recognition and support. One example of the difficulties faced by farmers – one that many protestors point to – is the dumping of cheap Ukrainian chicken into Europe.
Our Take
Quand les institutions européennes sacrifient les paysans au profit de grands groupes agroindustriels
Manifestations d'agriculteurs à Bruxelles. Source : Confédération paysanne Une vague de manifestations d'agriculteurs se répand à travers l'Europe depuis janvier 2024. Dans plusieurs pays, dont la France, la Belgique, la Grèce, l'Italie, l'Espagne, la Pologne, l'Allemagne et les Pays-Bas, les paysans protestent contre la concurrence déloyale, les charges fiscales, la réglementation excessive et un manque général de reconnaissance et de soutien.
Our Take
The Black Sea Grain Initiative: When the United Nations Brokers Profits for Corporations, Bankers, and Oligarchs
The top destination for Ukraine's agricultural exports is the European Union, with China being second. Spain is the largest recipient in Europe. Instead of offering relief, Ukrainian exports are threatening the livelihoods of millions of European farmers.
Our Take
Who Really Benefits from the Creation of a Land Market in Ukraine?
Imposing the creation of a land market in Ukraine will further concentrate control of land in the hands of oligarchs and large agribusinesses, while favoring the interests of foreign investors and banks.

Press Releases & Public Statements

View of the wheat field during the harvesting season near Krasne village, Ukraine
Press Release
Amidst Chaos of War, A New Report Exposes the Stealth Take-over of Ukrainian Agricultural Land
One year into the war, a new report reveals how oligarchs and financial interests are expanding control over Ukraine's agricultural land
Farmer protests against the land reform, December 2020. Copyright: Oleksiy Frayer
Press Release
International Monetary Fund Leverages COVID-19 Economic Fallout to Create a Land Market in Ukraine Despite Widespread Opposition
---FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--- May 21, 2020 Media Contact:Frederic Mousseau [email protected] +1(510)-512-5458Professor Olena Borodina [email protected] +38-044-254-3966 As a condition for a US$8 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine was forced to lift a 19-year moratorium on the sale of agricultural land in April 2020. Amidst an ongoing economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented street protests against the lifting of the. moratorium by Ukrainians who are overwhelmingly opposed to the law.
Press Release
New Fact Sheet Details Western Agribusiness Interests in Ukraine
---FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE---Media Contact:Frederic Mousseau, Policy Director, Oakland [email protected]; +1-510-469-5228 New Fact Sheet Details Western Agribusiness Interests in Ukraine Access the Full ReportOakland, CA – Today, on the heels of Ukraine’s new cabinet appointments, the Oakland Institute (OI) is releasing a new brief detailing western agribusiness investments in the country.The Corporate Takeover of Ukrainian Agriculture exposes the extent of western investment and engagement in Ukraine’s agricultural sector.
Press Release
Press Release: The World Bank and the IMF Open up Ukraine to Western Interests
---FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE---Contacts:Frédéric Mousseau +33-678-585103;[email protected] Mittal, +1 510-530-5126;[email protected] Oakland, California--A new report from the Oakland Institute, Walking on the West Side: the World Bank and the IMF in the Ukraine Conflict,exposes how the international financial institutions swooped in on the heels of the political upheaval and are vying to deregulate and throw open Ukraine’s vast agricultural sector to foreign investors.

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