Russia is preparing attacks on food industry facilities across Ukraine, including foreign-owned businesses, a source in Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR) told Ukrinform on 10 November.

The planned strikes could target grain storage facilities, vegetable oil producers, dairy factories, meat-processing plants, and poultry farms. The reported plans point to a potential expansion of Russia's campaign against Ukraine's civilian economy, threatening domestic food supplies, agricultural exports, and foreign currency revenues while potentially benefiting Russian competitors.

The warning comes as Russia has stepped up attacks on food storage facilities across Ukraine since the summer, repeatedly striking warehouses used to store and distribute food. These attacks have damaged supply chains and added pressure on Ukraine's already weakened storage capacity.

Russia plans to target food production and storage

According to the HUR source cited by Ukrinform, Russian forces are preparing to attack facilities used to store and process agricultural products, including grain elevators and warehouses.

Other potential targets include factories producing sunflower and other vegetable oils, dairy and butter plants, meat-processing facilities, poultry farms, and other food industry enterprises.

The warning covers both Ukrainian-owned and foreign-owned businesses operating in Ukraine.

The source said Moscow aims to destabilize Ukraine by undermining its food security and then using an information campaign to demoralize the population. Russia also seeks to inflict substantial economic damage and reduce foreign currency revenues flowing into Ukraine's state budget.

Another reported objective is to weaken Ukrainian agricultural exports and increase Russia's share of international markets, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Russia has already struck food producers and warehouses

The warning follows a series of Russian attacks on Ukraine's agricultural processing and food storage industries, including foreign-owned facilities.

On 5 January, Russian drones struck US-owned Bunge's oil extraction plant in Dnipro, spilling around 300 tons of vegetable oil onto city streets. The plant processes sunflower seeds and produces oil under the Oleina brand. Bunge also operates a processing plant in Mykolaiv and an export terminal.

In late 2025, Russia also struck the Allseeds terminal at Pivdennyi port and Kernel's Illichivsk Oil and Fat Combine in Chornomorsk. 

Ukroliyaprom director general Stepan Kapshuk told Latifundist the attacks were part of a systematic effort to destroy Ukraine's vegetable oil export industry. Vegetable oil and sunflower meal account for more than 15% of Ukraine's foreign currency earnings and nearly 20% of commodity exports, according to industry data.

Russia has also increasingly targeted food storage since summer. By September, around 90% of Ukraine's modern storage capacity had reportedly been destroyed, including 80% of refrigerated warehouses around Kyiv.

Retailers have shifted stocks to smaller facilities, but these too have come under attack, threatening food distribution, availability, and prices.

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Russia intensifies attacks on civilian infrastructure

Ukrinform reported that Russia had carried out more than 167,000 attacks on civilian facilities in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion, according to figures available as of July.

The agency also cited HUR reporting that Russian military units had received orders to intensify drone attacks against civilian infrastructure and vehicles in frontline and border areas.

The latest intelligence warning suggests that food production and agricultural infrastructure could become another focus of Russia's campaign against Ukraine's civilian economy.