Ukraine has apprehended a foreign ship within its territorial waters, claiming it was engaged in the illicit trade of stolen Ukrainian grain, according to the state security service SBU on Friday. Kyiv has accused Russia of trafficking stolen Ukrainian grain since the onset of the 2022 conflict, a claim that Russia refutes.
However, instances of ship seizures have been infrequent. The SBU reported via the Telegram messaging platform that the investigation revealed the detained vessel was part of Russia’s ‘shadow’ fleet, which the Kremlin allegedly employs to sell plundered Ukrainian grain to other nations.
The agency noted that in late 2024, the same vessel had exported 5,000 metric tons of wheat stolen from the occupied southern regions of Ukraine, departing from the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Furthermore, the SBU indicated that the vessel conducted an unlawful operation under the flag of an Asian nation to facilitate the grain export, without providing additional details.
In July of the previous year, Ukraine seized a foreign cargo ship on the Danube River and arrested the captain on suspicions of assisting Moscow in exporting Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied Crimea, although the findings of that investigation have not been disclosed.
