Ukraine seizes Russian vessel that exported Ukrainian grain through Crimea and evaded sanctions
Kyiv • UNN
A Russian vessel that illegally exported Ukrainian agricultural products through occupied Crimea has been detained and seized in the Odesa port. The dry cargo ship systematically entered closed Crimean ports, and in 2021, it exported over 6.9 thousand tons of wheat to Africa.
Ukraine has seized a Russian vessel that was exporting Ukrainian grain through occupied Crimea and repeatedly changed its name and owners to avoid sanctions, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on Wednesday, UNN writes.
A Russian vessel involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian agricultural products through temporarily occupied Crimea has been detained and seized in the Odesa seaport.
Details
The investigation established that the dry cargo ship systematically entered closed Crimean ports. "In January 2021, in the port of Sevastopol, it illegally loaded more than 6.9 thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat, which it exported to one of the African countries," the prosecutor's office reported.
In December 2025, the ship's captain was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
As reported, "to avoid sanctions, the vessel repeatedly changed its name and owners, and was registered to controlled companies from third countries."
"In December 2025, the ship under a foreign flag again entered the Odesa port - it was exposed and detained. During the search, documents of the occupation administration and technical evidence of the crime were seized," the report says.
At the request of prosecutors, the court decided to seize the vessel. Measures are being taken to transfer the asset to ARMA management. Investigative actions are ongoing.