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The SBU detained the captain of a cargo ship who helped the Russians export Ukrainian grain from Crimea.
Allegedly, the ship sailed under the flag of one of the Central African countries, and its crew carried out orders from the Russian Federation to export grain from Crimea. According to the investigation, during 2023-2024 the ship repeatedly moored at the seaport of Sevastopol, after which the cargo was transported to the Middle East and sold.
“To disguise the crime, the captain periodically turned off the GPS tracker and entered false information into the log of the routes and stops of the craft. Thus, he helped the Russians export multi-ton shipments of Ukrainian grain stolen from temporarily occupied regions in southern Ukraine,” the report says.
The prosecutor’s office clarified that the ship was called “USKO MFU” and sailed under the flag of Cameroon. He was detained in the port of Reni, Odessa region. It is also reported that in November 2023, the ship entered and left the port in Sevastopol, where it loaded more than three thousand tons of agricultural products intended for a Turkish company.
“At the end of May 2024, the ship entered the closed port of Sevastopol for the second time with the AIS system turned off, where it unloaded cargo from Turkey. Subsequently, the ship left the port, indicating its destination – Istanbul. However, after turning on the AIS system, on July 2, the ship entered one of the ports of the Republic of Moldova,” the message says.
The investigation established that the captain of the cargo ship was a citizen of one of the countries of the South Caucasus; the crew included 12 more foreigners. During the search, documents, navigation aids and other material evidence were found on board.
Currently, the suspect’s vessel was towed to Odesa and he was arrested by court order. The investigation is ongoing. The man faces up to five years in prison.