Ukraine Says Russia Is Exporting Grain From Annexed Regions as ‘Russian’ Produce
Kyiv’s intelligence service cites more than 2 million tons moved in 2025 using ship-to-ship transfers at Russian ports to mask origin.
Overview
- Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service announced on January 17 that grain from four regions Russia claimed to annex in 2022 is being shipped abroad as Russian goods.
- The agency reported that exports from the occupied areas totaled over 2 million tons in 2025.
- Officials said cargoes are reloaded at southern Russian ports to obscure the grain’s provenance.
- Egypt received about 490,000 tons in the second half of 2025 and Bangladesh about 250,000 tons, with additional shipments to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
- Ukraine labeled the transfers as theft and said it is working to identify vessels involved and pursue sanctions on trading entities.