‘Russian soldiers took over my farm’: the battle for food supplies in Ukraine

Farmers in Ukraine describe depleting potato stocks, slaughtering their own pigs, and Russian troops appearing at the gate

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended the farming industry, raising fears of disruption to domestic and international food supplies. The Guardian has spoken to three farmers about what life is like on the ground, with the Russian army hiding tanks in barns and stocks of potatoes expected to deplete within weeks.

Andrii Pastushenko, 39, is a dairy farmer who lives 12 miles from Kherson in the south of Ukraine, a city that has been under control of the Russian military.