Updated

Kernel, Ukraine's largest sunflower oil producer and exporter, has shut down all its oilseed processing plants and halted sunflower seed purchases, citing the risk of fire from Russian drone strikes on food industry facilities. Kernel said in a statement, as reported by Ukrinform, that drones had deliberately targeted processing facilities including its own, damaging production buildings, equipment and storage tanks, and that all sites had completed safety shutdown procedures with employees safe. Kernel said it remained financially stable, was still shipping existing stocks and meeting its commitments to farmers and partners. Ukrainska Pravda reported that the Alef corporation's Potoky oil extraction plant in Dnipro also temporarily stopped buying and processing sunflower seeds from November 13, citing power outages, a difficult security situation and restoration work after earlier attacks, including a Russian strike in May 2026. The company said the decision was made mainly for employee safety and that it would provide updates on resuming production. The plant, operating since 2018, has a capacity of 1,400 tonnes per day.