Kherson Region Farmers Face Soviet-Style Harvest Seizures Under Russian Occupation

Russian forces on the occupied territories of the Kherson region have started to forcibly take not only grain but also vegetables from local farmers, according to the Center for National Resistance.

Starting next year, Russian occupying forces plan to introduce a new 'state purchasing operator, ' which will force farmers to sell their entire harvest at fixed prices, much lower than market rates. The crops grown by Ukrainian farmers will be sold at full price through schemes connected to collaborators, with the profits going into the pockets of traitors.

“Farmers, deprived of fair income, are left dependent on subsidies, which are then used as a tool of control. Taking away the harvest means controlling people’s lives”, the Center for National Resistance says.

On November 6th, the National Resistance Center announced that Russian authorities plan to establish centers to promote the Russian language in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as part of a broader cultural assimilation effort.

This initiative, led by Vladimir Putin, is intended to strengthen Russian influence and undermine local Ukrainian identity, according to the Center for National Resistance.

The forced harvesting measures introduced by Russian occupying forces in the Kherson region bear similarities to Soviet-era collectivization tactics. By mandating that farmers sell their crops at low fixed prices to state operators, Russia is restricting farmers' economic autonomy and forcing dependency on subsidies controlled by Russian occupying forces.

Combined with efforts to promote the Russian language in these territories, this approach appears to align with a broader strategy to diminish local Ukrainian identity and enforce control over the region’s economy and culture, echoing a historical legacy of centralized Soviet control.