Russia's starvation of Ukraine was pre-planned - human rights experts

That's according to The Independent, which refers to the new report by international human rights law firm Global Rights Compliance, Ukrinform reports.

According to information collected by human rights activists, when Russian tanks did roll across the border on February 24, 2022 they deliberately targeted grain-rich areas and food production infrastructure first.

In addition, GRC found that Russia's defense contractor began purchasing trucks to transport grain, as well as three new 170-meter bulk carrier cargo ships, as early as December 2021, evidence of advance planning for the pillage of Ukrainian food resources "on an unprecedented scale."

Russia began commandeering Ukrainian farms within less than a week of its invasion, and at its peak was exporting 12,000 tonnes of grain per day from across occupied territories.

The evidence of a "highly coordinated level of pre-planning" will be provided to the International Criminal Court and GRC hopes it will lead to a first international prosecution against Putin for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.