SBU Detains Foreign Cargo Ship in Odessa Suspected of Stealing

The Security Service of Ukraine detained and arrested a foreign vessel in Odesa region on suspicion of being used by Russia to steal Ukrainian agricultural products from the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine.

This was reported by the SBU press service.

The detention of the bulk carrier took place as a result of a special operation by the SBU and the State Border Guard Service in the inland waters of the Black Sea. According to Intent's sources, it happened in the port of Reni, Odesa region.

According to investigators, the arrested vessel was part of Russia's shadow fleet, which the Kremlin uses to sell looted Ukrainian grain to third countries. According to the case file, at the end of 2024, the bulk carrier transported 5,000 tons of wheat from the port of Sevastopol, which was stolen in the temporarily occupied territory of southern Ukraine.

"To conceal the crimes of the occupiers, the vessel carried out an illegal raid under the flag of an Asian country. During the search of the vessel, documents, navigation equipment and other material evidence confirming the facts of the racists' looting of Ukrainian agricultural products were found," the SBU said.

The crew of the bulk carrier was also detained.

Earlier, the National Agency of Ukraine for Finding, Tracing and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA) held an auction for the sale of the Nika Spirit vessel arrested in Izmail, Odesa region.

The tanker Nika Spirit (formerly known as Neyma) was detained on July 24, 2019, in the port of Izmail. According to the international information system Equasis, the vessel was identified as the one used to block the Kerch Strait in November 2018.

The tanker allegedly ran aground under the arch of the Kerch Bridge during the events of November 25, 2018, when the Ukrainian ships Berdiansk and Nikopol and the raid tug Yany Kapu were making a planned passage from the port of Odesa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov and were attacked by Russian warships, resulting in the capture of Ukrainian sailors.

Кирило Бойко