{
  "id": 19853873,
  "title": "Kernel Halts All Oilseed Crushing Plants After Russian Drone Strikes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/kernel-halts-all-oilseed-crushing-plants-after-russian-drone-strikes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-13T19:18:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Post",
    "slug": "kyiv-post",
    "url": "https://www.kyivpost.com/post/90079"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kernel Holding SA, the world's largest sunflower oil producer, has ceased all operations at its crushing plants following Russian drone strikes on its facilities in Ukraine, marking an escalation of attacks on the country's food industry. The Ukrainian oil giant disclosed on Wednesday that Russian drones had deliberately targeted processing plants across the nation, causing significant damage to production buildings, equipment, and storage tanks at Kernel's Ukrainian assets. In a press release, Kernel announced it had halted all seed purchases as well.\n\nA Russian drone attack on Thursday, November 12, at 5:30 a.m. struck the Bandursky Oil Extraction Plant in the Mykolaiv region's Pervomaisk district, damaging three tanks of sunflower oil and completely destroying a fourth. The protective embankment was also compromised, causing oil to spill onto surrounding land and contaminate over 3,500 square meters without endangering any residential buildings. State environmental inspectors collected soil samples, and as of noon on Friday, November 13, no oil had reached any water body. Cleanup crews continued to pump out the oil and construct additional earth barriers.\n\nKernel emphasized that crushing is a continuous technological process with a high fire risk, and a hit on working equipment poses a significant threat of large-scale blaze and endangering employees' lives. The company stated that it had implemented all shutdown safety protocols at every plant, ensuring the safety of its workers. Despite the halt in operations, Kernel affirmed that it maintains full operational and financial stability, continuing to ship existing product stocks from its warehouses and honoring all commitments to Ukrainian farmers and partners.\n\nKernel, the world's largest sunflower oil producer and exporter, accounts for 10% of global exports, while also being a leading grain exporter from Ukraine and a major operator of agricultural logistics facilities. Established in 1995, Kernel exported 8 million tonnes of agricultural products in the 2025 financial year, and its shares have been traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since November 2007. Bloomberg reported that a soybean processing plant was damaged in a strike on Sunday, November 8, as assets of other large agricultural companies faced attacks this month. A Ukrainian Military Intelligence official informed Bloomberg that Moscow is preparing to strike more silos, dairy plants, and sunflower oil factories, as well as meat and poultry producers. Grains, oilseeds, and other agricultural products now constitute more than half of Ukraine's export revenue, according to Bloomberg. Ship traffic to the Black Sea region collapsed after intensified Russian drone and missile attacks, completely blocking Ukrainian grain exports. Ukraine has been exporting an average of 4-4.5 million tonnes of agricultural products per month, with about 90% of these exports going through Black Sea seaports, according to the National Bank of Ukraine. Kernel's 2025 consolidated financial statement, as reported by the Warsaw Stock Exchange, shows $4.4 billion in sales revenue, with an operating profit of $441 million and EBITDA of $558 million. The company's profit before tax reached $382 million, and its net profit attributable to equity holders stood at $322 million, with total assets valued at $3.9 billion. Other Ukrainian oil producers, such as Korolivsky Smak, also announced halting production, cutting staff, and suspending oilseed purchases due to a critical electricity supply situation and the constant threat of missile and drone strikes. Delta Wilmar Ukraine suspended production in the Odesa region, while Potoky in Odesa paused sunflower seed purchases and processing, both citing power outages and security concerns. On November 10, Russian drones critically damaged the Nizhyn Fat and Oil Plant in the Chernihiv region, one of Ukraine's oldest and most advanced oil extraction facilities. Operating since 1896, the plant specializes in the full-cycle processing of oilseeds.",
  "summary": "Kernel Holding, the world’s largest sunflower oil producer and exporter, has halted all its oilseed crushing plants after Russian drones damaged production buildings, equipment and storage tanks. Russia’s hit on Kernel’s facilities caused a large spill of oil in the Mykolaiv region.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}