Russia appropriates more than 1,700 tonnes of Ukrainian grain and agricultural products

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office is investigating Russia's appropriation of over 1,700 tonnes of Ukrainian agricultural products.

"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has stolen and destroyed billions of U.S. dollars worth of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the issue concerns more than 1,700 tonnes of agricultural products illegally exported from the temporarily occupied territories. Another crime is damage to and destruction of agricultural infrastructure as a result of shelling and hostilities," the Prosecutor General's Office said.

Russia systematically exports stolen products abroad and sells them to buyers on the world market. At the same time, the origin of grain and other agricultural products is hidden.

During the Ukrainian Grain Conference held in Kyiv, Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi reported that Ukrainian prosecutors have already received arrest warrants for more than 20 vessels, sent requests for mutual legal assistance, and forwarded 20 indictments to court.

However, the investigation is significantly complicated by the fact that Russia hides the Ukrainian origin of agricultural products, and the necessary documents and witnesses stay in the temporarily occupied territories or in Russia itself.

"Therefore, the Prosecutor General's Office calls on international partners, agro-traders and public organizations to assist in tracking the international flow of stolen Ukrainian agricultural products and the financing of these illegal sales," the agency said.

Illustration photo: ANSA/EPA