Ukraine Lost 25% of Arable Land in Russian War

Ukraine lost 25% of its arable land since Russia's invasion, in the south and east, the deputy agriculture minister announced on Monday, assuring that food security is not threatened.

"Despite the loss of 25% of arable land, crop planting this year is more than sufficient" to ensure food for the population, Taras Vysotskiy told a news conference.

Vysotskiy noted that the national consumption levels had fallen "due to mass displacement and external migration" as millions fled to escape the fighting.

More than seven million people are believed to be displaced within Ukraine by Russia's war, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

In addition, another 7.3 million have fled abroad, more than half of them to Poland.

Despite the significant loss of land to the Russians, "the current situation of crop planting areas.. does not pose a threat to Ukraine's food security," he said.

"Ukrainian farmers managed to prepare relatively well for sowing before the war started," the deputy minister mentioned. "In February, Ukraine had already imported about 70% of necessary fertilisers, 60% of disease control products and about a third of the required fuel" for sowing.

In the same vein, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy affirmed that the battle for Severodonetsk was taking a "terrifying" toll as Russian forces threaten to take the strategic eastern city.

"The human cost of this battle is very high for us. It is simply terrifying," Zelenskyy said on Telegram in his daily address to the Ukrainian people.

The Ukrainian leader continued: "The battle for the Donbas will, without doubt, be remembered in military history as one of the most violent battles in Europe."