Russian ship arrested in Odesa port for exporting Ukrainian grain

Law enforcement officers detained a Russian vessel in the Odesa seaport. The ship was used to illegally export Ukrainian agricultural products through the temporarily occupied Crimea.

This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.

The investigation found that the bulk carrier regularly called at Crimean ports closed by Ukraine, violating national legislation and international maritime law.

In January 2021, the ship illegally loaded more than 6,900 tons of Ukrainian wheat at the Sevastopol Commercial Sea Port and exported it to an African country. In December 2025, the ship's captain, who was in charge of the ship at the time, was suspected of violating the procedure for entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory (Part 2 of Article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

To conceal the ship's origin and avoid international sanctions, it was repeatedly re-registered to shell companies and changed its name.

In December 2025, the vessel, flying the flag of an African state, arrived at the port of Odesa again. It was detained by Ukrainian law enforcement officers in a joint operation. During the search, they found technical equipment and documents issued by the occupation administration confirming the illegal actions.

At the request of the prosecutors, the court decided to arrest the vessel. Measures are currently being taken to transfer the ship to the management of the National Asset Recovery and Management Agency(ARMA).

The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officers are documenting all the episodes of the crime and identifying the persons involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian grain. The investigation is being conducted by the Investigation Department of the SBU Main Directorate in the AR of Crimea jointly with the First Marine Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service.

In August, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported on the activities of 42 vessels of the Russian"shadow fleet" involved in the transportation of oil, as well as grain and coal from the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea. According to the agency, these ships, along with the ports and airports involved, are used to transport weapons, stolen Ukrainian resources, and to circumvent international sanctions.

Анна Літман