Ukraine Cracks Down on Illicit Grain Trade with Sweeping Sanctions
The Ukrainian government has taken decisive action against the global logistics network involved in the illegal removal of agricultural products, particularly national grain reserves, from temporarily occupied territories and their sale on international markets.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an official decree approving the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions on individuals, cargo ships, and legal entities linked to this illegal trade chain.
The new sanctions package targets 13 cargo ships flying the flags of four countries - including eight Russian-flagged vessels - as well as 28 companies that financed the logistics and trade of illegal grain exports. Additionally, 11 Russian citizens who led the system and operated the ships will also face sanctions.
The Ukrainian government's Special Representative for Sanctions Policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, emphasized that 'every participant involved in the illegal removal of Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories will be held accountable,' including ship captains and the vessels used for these purposes.