Russia has earned billions from selling stolen Ukrainian grain through international markets

Illegal sale of grain. Photo for illustration/texty.org.ua

Since 2022, Russia and its partners have sold grain stolen from the occupied territories of Ukraine worth almost a billion dollars.

The Wall Street Journal writes about it.

The scheme is said to cover a wide network of clients, including firms linked to the Russian invasion, a company linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Crimean businessman Mykhailo Hanaha, who has ties to Syria and Israel, and companies trading with the UAE.

In the first half of 2024, 15 ships with 81,000 tons of wheat were sent from Russian-occupied Mariupol to Turkey. Turkish authorities say they have banned the passage of ships from the occupied territories and are working with Kyiv to block this illegal trade. Although the exact value of the stolen products is difficult to determine, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Markiian Dmytrasevych notes that at least 4 million tons of grain worth $800 million have been sold since 2022.

According to experts, the total amount of stolen grain can reach 6.4 billion dollars. Stolen products help Russia cope with sanctions while funding further aggression.

The message states that sometimes foreign vessels participate in the schemes. Ukrainian prosecutor Ihor Ponochovnyi is investigating the activities of the Turkish ship Usko MFU, which, according to his suspicions, transported grain from the port of Sevastopol last year. In November, it delivered 2,100 tons of sunflower and wheat seeds worth half a million dollars to Turkey. Investigators found on board instructions to hide the cargo's origin from Crimea.

The main markets for Crimean grain are Yemen and Iran, while Egypt, Israel and Lebanon stopped buying after discovering its origin. Iran buys barley from Crimea at a 34% discount from the market price, for $140 per ton.

We will remind, Volodymyr Saldo, appointed by the Russian occupiers as the «governor» of the Kherson region, was informed of the suspicion of stealing almost 3 thousand tons of Ukrainian grain.