The Cameroonian-flagged ship is believed to have been working for Russia to move Ukrainian grain to the Center East.
Ukraine has seized a world cargo ship it says was carrying Ukrainian grain stolen from Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ukraine’s Safety Service (SBU) stated on Thursday its forces stopped the ship within the Black Sea close to Ukraine’s Odesa area, seized it and detained its captain.
The Cameroonian-flagged vessel Usko Mfu had been working for Russia in exporting grain to the Center East, in keeping with the SBU. The ship had repeatedly docked on the Crimean seaport of Sevastopol since final yr to choose up a number of tons of “stolen” merchandise, the assertion stated.
Sevastopol is a serious Russian army middle on the Black Sea.
To hide its actions, the SBU stated, the ship frequently turned off its GPS tracker and recorded false journey info.
Its captain, an Azerbaijani citizen, might resist 5 years in jail for violating journey restrictions governing Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.
It’s unclear whether or not 12 different international crew members, who prosecutors say have been additionally on board the ship when it was seized, will face expenses.
“The investigation is ongoing to ascertain all of the circumstances of the crime and establish different individuals concerned within the criminal activity,” the SBU stated.
Battle for assets
Russian forces occupied swathes of Ukraine’s southern agricultural areas within the first yr of their 2022 invasion, and kyiv has accused Russia of stealing and destroying its grain.
Ukraine additionally blames Russia for withdrawing in 2023 from a United Nations-brokered deal permitting kyiv to soundly transport its grain by way of the Black Sea, inflicting its meals exports to plummet.
Ukraine has since opened new delivery routes, typically alongside the coast, to avoid Russia’s de facto blockade, bringing its grain exports again to close pre-war ranges.
In Could, the European Union imposed “prohibitive” tariffs on grain imports from Russia in an try to chop off income to Moscow for its battle in opposition to Ukraine.
The bloc’s commerce commissioner stated the measure would “deal with unlawful Russian exports of grain stolen from Ukraine to EU markets.”