---
title: "“No Critical Dependence”: How Ukraine Is Reworking Food Logistics Amid Russian Strikes on Warehouses"
description: "Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky stated that there is no critical dependence on food imports, and that supply logistics is being decentralized due to Russian attacks on retail warehouses."
date: 2026-09-14T09:08:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-food-import-logistics-russian-attacks
tags: [ukraine, food-import, russia-attacks, logistics, agriculture]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# “No Critical Dependence”: How Ukraine Is Reworking Food Logistics Amid Russian Strikes on Warehouses

![Well-stocked supermarket shelves and an empty cart: how Ukraine rebuilds food logistics amid Russian strikes on warehouses](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/14/ukraine-import-food-attacks-logistics/ukraine-import-food-attacks-logistics-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Russia is attacking retail warehouses, so food supply logistics in Ukraine is being maximally decentralized to avoid the accumulation of goods.
- Imports concern primarily exotic fruits, raw materials, oceanic and marine fish, as well as part of the confectionery and pet food range.
- According to the minister, there is no critical dependence on imports: domestic production covers basic needs.
- Import centers are also in the risk zone, so they are being decentralized; logistics is simpler due to the predominance of road transport.

The Russian Federation continues to deliberately attack the warehouses of retail chains, which is why the logistics of food supply in Ukraine is being made as decentralized as possible. As Taras Vysotsky, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, stated in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, the main goal of this restructuring is to avoid the stage of accumulating goods in large hubs that become vulnerable to shelling. According to him, this is precisely why import and domestic flows are being reconfigured toward a more distributed delivery scheme.

### What Exactly Ukraine Is Forced to Import

When it comes to imports, the discussion is primarily about products that are “simply not produced or grown” in Ukraine. Vysotsky cited exotic fruits — citrus and bananas — as an example. Similarly, raw materials that are not available in domestic production are also imported. The minister separately highlighted a fairly significant share of imported fish products, above all oceanic and marine fish: “During the war, industrial fishing in the Black and Azov Seas is virtually absent, so imports play an important role here,” he acknowledged.

### There Is No Critical Dependence on Imports

At the same time, the official emphasized that a significant portion of the imported range is a matter of consumer choice: some people prefer certain imported confectionery products or pet food. “We have no critical dependence on imports for most products,” Vysotsky noted. In his assessment, Ukrainian production is capable of meeting basic domestic needs, and imports mainly complement rather than replace domestic supply, if one excludes exotic fruits, certain types of raw materials, and oceanic/marine fish.

### Imports Are Also at Risk: A Bet on Decentralization

Asked whether imports are under greater threat of shelling and supply disruption than domestic production, the minister replied that “imports also carry their own risks.” The relevant centers, he said, “have likewise ended up in the risk zone,” so this issue “also needs decentralization.” At the same time, Vysotsky noted that imports are “a bit easier from a logistics standpoint”: most shipments are brought in by road transport, and such routes can be changed and reconfigured more quickly depending on the situation.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Exotics, fish, and coffee: Is Ukraine critically dependent on food imports](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ekzotika-riba-ta-kava-chi-e-kritichna-zalezhnist-1789376314.html) - Первичное интервью министра Т. Высоцкого: разветвление логистики, состав импорта, отсутствие критической зависимости, риски и децентрализация.
- [Will Ukrainians be left without food due to Russian shelling: the Ministry of Agrarian Policy's answer](https://www.unian.net/economics/agro/deficit-produktov-v-ukraine-iz-za-udarov-rf-v-minagropolitiki-obyasnili-chto-zhdet-ukraincev-13470078.html) - Подтверждает контекст обстрелов складов и ответ Минагрополитики по ситуации с продуктами.
- [Will Ukrainians be left without food due to Russian strikes on warehouses: the Ministry of Agrarian Policy's answer](https://www.unian.net/economics/agro/golod-v-ukraine-budet-ili-net-v-minagro-rasskazali-o-situacii-s-produktami-posle-udarov-rf-13483278.html) - Подтверждает контекст обстрелов складов и ответ Минагрополитики по ситуации с продуктами.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Does Ukraine have a critical dependence on food imports?
**A:** According to Minister Taras Vysotsky, there is no critical dependence on imports for most products: domestic production is capable of meeting basic domestic needs.

### Q: What products does Ukraine import?
**A:** Primarily those that are not produced domestically: exotic fruits (citrus, bananas), certain types of raw materials, as well as oceanic and marine fish; part of the imports is confectionery products and pet food.

### Q: Why is supply logistics being decentralized?
**A:** Because Russia is attacking retail warehouses, and to avoid the accumulation of goods in vulnerable hubs, flows are being reconfigured toward a more distributed scheme.

### Q: Are imports threatened by shelling?
**A:** Yes, import centers have also ended up in the risk zone, so they are being decentralized; at the same time, logistics is simpler because most shipments are brought in by road transport, whose routes can be changed more quickly.