NYT: Russians strike Cargill grain terminal in Ukraine

Russian drones attacked a grain terminal owned by American company Cargill in southern Ukraine. The attack was reported by The New York Times.

Seven drones hit the facility in less than three minutes during an attack in mid-April. The strikes caused explosions that damaged the infrastructure of the large grain complex.

The attack was captured on video filmed by a truck driver who was nearby.

“This is crazy,” the driver repeats in the video obtained and verified by The New York Times.

The incident is one of several strikes targeting facilities of major American companies in Ukraine, which, according to the NYT, have been occurring since last summer. Other affected assets were reportedly linked to Coca-Cola, Mondelēz, Philip Morris and Boeing.

Most companies mentioned in the report either declined to comment or briefly stated that they continue operating in Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not provide a comment to the NYT.

In February, representatives of several American companies, including Coca-Cola, Cargill and Bunge, met with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators during their visit to Ukraine.

“From what we heard, they believe the strikes were deliberate,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen said.

Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, said Russia is using missiles and drones to deter American businesses from entering Ukraine.

Which terminals does Cargill operate in Ukraine?

According to Elevatorist.com, Cargill was one of the few global grain trading companies that for a long time did not have its own port infrastructure in Ukraine.

In 2016, the company, together with M.V. Cargo, began construction of a grain terminal at the Port Pivdennyi, with investments exceeding $150 million involving the International Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The Neptune terminal was launched in 2019, and in 2021, Cargill acquired a controlling stake of 51%.

The complex has a grain storage capacity of up to 290,000 tons.

Cargill’s position in Ukraine’s grain exports

In the 2024/25 marketing year, the top five grain exporters from Ukraine were Kernel, Louis Dreyfus, ADM, Cargill and NIBULON.

Cargill ranked fourth with a 6% market share, moving up from fifth place a year earlier.