Zelenskyy announced sanctions targeting individuals transporting stolen Ukrainian grain and profiting from the scheme, as vessels continue delivering cargo to multiple countries.
11:51 AM
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday that Ukraine is preparing a sanctions package against individuals transporting grain stolen by Russia, as well as against individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from the scheme.
"Ukraine, based on information from our intelligence agencies, is preparing a corresponding sanction package that will cover both those directly transporting this grain and those individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from this criminal scheme," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. "We will also coordinate with our European partners to ensure that the relevant individuals are included in European sanction regimes."
The announcement followed the arrival of a ship carrying stolen grain at an Israeli port. Zelenskyy stated that such transactions cannot be considered purely commercial. "The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of what ships and what cargo are arriving," he said.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the President of Ukraine's Representative for Sanctions Policy, said Russia continues to sell grain from Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories via occupied ports, circumventing existing sanctions by changing routes and transshipping cargo. "Russia continues to seek buyers for stolen Ukrainian grain, using occupied ports as a stable supply channel. Data for March–April 2026 clearly confirm this," Vlasiuk told Ukrinform.
According to Vlasiuk, a significant portion of vessels operating on these routes are already subject to restrictions imposed by Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States. The sanctioned vessels include MATROS POZYNICH, SEVERNIY PROECT, DAMAS WAVE, NOVAYA ZEMLYA, FEDOR, PRINCESS EVA, MYS ZHELANIYA, ZAID, VICTORIA K, VICTORIA V, DON, and ASOMATOS. However, Vlasiuk emphasized that a vessel's sanction status alone has not stopped sales. "When a restriction is imposed on a vessel, it does not necessarily stop the sale of stolen grain," he indicated.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi said Ukraine is tracking multiple ships beyond those arriving in Israel. "In the past there have been cases, and we even publicly reported on such cargoes as they approached Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, and some other countries. Currently, there are actually several vessels. As far as I know, one is approaching Egypt and another is heading toward Algeria," Tykhyi said during an online meeting with journalists.
Tykhyi stated that Ukraine will respond to all instances of agricultural products illegally exported by Russia from temporarily occupied territories arriving in other countries. "This will not remain without a proper response," he assured, adding that Ukraine "see[s] everything and will not leave it without attention."
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