Ukraine hits 56 vessels with sanctions for exporting stolen grain
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (president.gov.ua)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has enacted an NSDC decision imposing sanctions on 56 maritime vessels that transported stolen Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories during the war, according to the official website of the President.
"Among them are vessels that loaded thousands of tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat, sunflower seeds, and other food products in the closed ports of Sevastopol and Feodosia – both temporarily occupied by Russia – and transported them abroad," the statement says.
Several of these ships are already under sanctions from other countries, including the European Union, the United States, and Switzerland.
Seventeen of them used not only Russian flags, so Ukraine will initiate the termination of licenses issued by the respective countries.
"The individuals who carried out these logistics operations, which are prohibited by Ukraine, profited financially and paid taxes into the Russian state budget – enabling Russia to finance its war machine," the website says.
Russia's shadow fleet
Russia has created a so-called shadow fleet to export oil and gas in violation of international sanctions. It is estimated that roughly one in six tankers globally now belongs to this shadow fleet — about 17% of all active tankers.
Since the beginning of this year, analysts have identified 940 vessels operating as part of Russia's shadow fleet, a 45% increase compared to last year.
Most are old tankers that have exceeded their service life and operate under the flags of neutral countries. In addition to environmental risks and sanctions evasion, these vessels pose other threats.
Some analysts believe they may also be used as platforms for hybrid attacks on Europe.
