Unexpected response to the water blockade of Crimea: Ukraine paid $8 million

Ukraine has become the largest buyer of agricultural products produced in Crimea. This is evidenced by data from the Ministry of Agriculture of Crimea, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

This year, products produced in Crimea were supplied to 12 countries, but 61% of the total volume was imported by Ukraine, which amounts to more than 8 million US dollars since the beginning of 2020.

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“The largest share in Crimean exports was poultry meat (50%), spirits (14%) and grape wines (8%),” the report says.

Economic relations between Crimea and Ukraine have been developing for years, so it is not surprising that trade turnover has been preserved, says Alexander Formanchuk, deputy head of the Public Chamber of the Republic.

“Of course, there is a plus in this - we do not advocate some kind of complete isolation of our relations with Ukraine. We understand that the current situation will not last forever. Unfortunately, this trade is of a hidden nature - we are not talking about official trade turnover between these territories. This is what is supplied and purchased at the level of private initiatives and people who come here and transport them, and we do not prohibit this. Just as we did not prohibit and welcomed the arrival of vacationers from Ukraine in the summer. Plus, we do not prohibit contacts between relatives, of whom we have had a large number during our 23 years of being part of Ukraine. It would be stupid if we declared total isolation from Ukraine, so in this case, even this level of hidden trade is recorded by customs officers, and we welcome this, we understand that the people of Ukraine, sooner or later, will make their choice in favor of recognizing relations with Russia , and with Russian Crimea,” Formanchuk told PolitNavigator.

Ex-deputy of the Supreme Council of Crimea Vadim Mordashov is sharply against the supply of any goods to Ukraine.

“It is well known that Ukraine imposes sanctions, an embargo, an energy blockade on the Russian Crimea... Crimea suffers great losses from this. Everyone remembers how hundreds of trucks loaded with meat, dairy and other products from Ukraine were turned around in front of the border with the Russian peninsula in order to starve the Crimeans. The famine did not happen, however, Russia saved it again. In order to punish the rebellious Crimeans, Kyiv, at its own loss, by the way, specially built an expensive dam, cutting off water from the North Crimean Canal to Crimea, which it still flaunts. And now we supply our agricultural products there... “Whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn the other to him too”?” – Mordashov is indignant.

Well-known Crimean political scientist Sergei Kiselev comments more restrainedly on the fact of trade with Ukraine. According to the expert, the republican authorities should pay more attention to the development of industry on the peninsula and preserve existing enterprises, and not put them out, like "Massandra", for sale:

“Unfortunately, few products are produced in Crimea; we mainly trade in our national heritage, our land, and enterprises. Crimean brands are put up for sale. I really don’t like that we don’t have any meaningful, in my opinion, systematic policy for restoring the Crimean economy. Considering that there is a huge housing construction going on now, a large number of people are coming. Naturally, the question arises of where they should work, but in fact there is nowhere to work. It is necessary to take measures to develop industry, precision engineering, for example, some enterprises where it is necessary to attract a large number of workers. And we see that we are trading with Ukraine. Well, this is understandable, naturally, because at one time connections were established, channels were worked out, but our economy, apparently, cannot yet compete with Russian production, it is weak. Therefore, we need to do more to develop our own economy,” Kiselev noted.