Russians exported more than 2 million tons of grain from the occupied territories of Ukraine

In 2025, more than 2 million tons of grain crops were exported from the territory of Ukraine. The main volumes were in the second half of the year - about 1.4 million tons.

According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

At the same time, Russia is expanding the geography of sales of illegally exported agricultural products. In particular, 53.6% of total shipments were sent to Egypt (490 thousand tons) and Bangladesh (250 thousand tons). Also, supplies to Lebanon increased to 78.1 thousand tons and Turkey to 96.7 thousand tons. In addition, grain exports to Syria have resumed - 94.4 thousand tons.

Ukrainian intelligence also records the delivery of agricultural products to Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, and in small volumes - even to some countries in the Balkan region.

To circumvent international sanctions, Russia uses ship-to-ship schemes - transshipment of grain from ship to ship in the transshipment area of the Caucasus port using storage vessels. The intelligence service added that such a mechanism allows to conceal the real origin of grain, avoid calls to the ports of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and minimize the risks of accusations of illegal trade. According to the SZRU, this scheme is actively used by Russia in deliveries to Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Earlier, Ukraine sold an arrested foreign cargo ship that was used to transport stolen Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied Crimea. The USKO MFU was sold at an auction based on the Dutch model. This was the third attempt to sell the asset. The winner of the open bidding was Universal Ltd, which purchased the vessel at a starting price of UAH 2.48 million. In addition, the new owner paid an additional UAH 4.42 million in customs duties. The vessel was detained in 2024 by the Security Service of Ukraine in the waters of Odesa region.

Олеся Ланцман