Ukraine's sunflower oil giant Kernel halts all processing plants after Russian drone attacks
Ukrainian agricultural giant Kernel, one of the world's largest sunflower oil producers, has suspended operations at all its oilseed processing plants following Russian drone attacks on its facilities.
The company announced the shutdown on November 12, saying strikes over the preceding days had damaged production buildings, equipment and storage tanks.
Kernel said Russian drones had deliberately targeted food-processing facilities in Ukraine, including its own assets.
Oil extraction is a continuous industrial process involving significant fire hazards, the company explained. A drone strike on operating equipment could trigger a large-scale fire and endanger workers.
"For this reason, a decision was made to completely shut down all plants," Kernel said.
The company confirmed that safety shutdown procedures had been completed at all affected facilities and that employees were safe.
Kernel has also suspended all purchases of sunflower seeds.
However, the company continues to ship existing inventories from its warehouses and fulfill previously agreed commitments to Ukrainian farmers and business partners.
Kernel describes itself as the world's largest sunflower oil producer and a major exporter of Ukrainian grain. It also operates agricultural production and logistics facilities across Ukraine.
The company did not specify when processing operations might resume or provide an estimate of the financial losses caused by the attacks.
The shutdown highlights the vulnerability of Ukraine's agricultural processing industry to Russian strikes, even as companies continue fulfilling export commitments from existing stocks.
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