Putin Under Siege — By Antelopes: Farms Ravaged in Grain Crisis

Once on the brink of extinction, these animals have made a stunning comeback.

A Different Kind of Invasion Hits Russia

While Vladimir Putin battles Ukraine on the battlefield, a quieter, but no less devastating, invasion is underway at home.

In Russia’s Saratov region, farmers are sounding the alarm over swarms of antelopes decimating their crops and contaminating water supplies.

With grain stocks under siege, the Kremlin now faces a crisis it didn’t see coming and can’t bomb into submission.

Saigas on the Rampage

The culprit? The saiga antelope, a weird-looking but fast-reproducing herbivore with a bulbous nose and a serious appetite.

Once on the brink of extinction, these animals have made a stunning comeback.

Now, their numbers are exploding, and they’re mowing through Russia’s sixth-largest grain-producing region like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Millions of Tons Lost in a Feeding Frenzy

The Saratov region normally produces around 4 million metric tons of grain a year.

But this year, much of it has reportedly been lost, not to war or weather, but to grazing antelopes.

That’s 3.5% of Russia’s total grain harvest gone, according to local farmers. And with no legal pest status for saigas, there’s little authorities can do to stop them.

Farmers Beg Putin for Help

Local farmers have taken to Telegram to plead with the president, warning the situation “threatens the very existence of agriculture in our region.”

But with hunting the animals outlawed and no insurance payouts coming, because the antelope isn’t classified as a pest, growers are left to watch their livelihoods vanish, hoofprint by hoofprint.

Water Contaminated by Drowning Herds

It’s not just the grain that’s at risk. Thousands of saigas have also reportedly drowned in rivers, polluting the region’s water supply.

The environmental fallout is stacking up, and farmers fear long-term damage to both crops and public health.

Putin’s government has launched assessments, but action so far has been scarce.

A Conservation Win Gone Wild

The saiga story was once considered a rare environmental success. From just 25,000 in the 1990s, the population has exploded to around 4 million today.

But now, that success is sowing chaos in Russia’s countryside.

“No one is asking them for passports,” quipped a Kazakh grain official.

The Kremlin’s Hands Are Tied

With hunting bans in place and conservationists watching, Putin’s options are limited.

The saiga isn’t just eating grain, it’s chewing through the image of a Russian strongman who can’t seem to protect his own farmers.

And while Moscow looks for answers, the antelopes keep marching and munching through what’s left.