This is stated in the investigation of "Schemes" (a project of Radio Liberty).
Journalists investigated the route taken by Russian invaders to transport Ukrainian grain first by truck from the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions to Crimea, and also identified which ships would export it from the Crimean port of Avlita to countries supporting Russia. to Ukraine.
Schem journalists, together with experts, analyzed dozens of Planet Labs satellite images and showed in the investigation where and how Russia exported Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied territories in May.
In particular, in May, Planet Labs satellites repeatedly recorded long columns of grain trucks stretching toward the Russian-occupied Crimea. "Schemes" published satellite images of such columns on the way from Zaporozhye region to the Crimean peninsula through the city of Chongar. The same queues of trucks in May were near the checkpoints of the city of Armyansk, to which the road leads from the Kherson region.
Transportation by truck is only one of the stages in the export of Ukrainian grain by the Russian occupiers, according to the investigation. Then it is loaded on ships in the Crimean port - in the terminal "Avlita", which is currently actually controlled by the Russian authorities. In May and early June alone, at least 12 cargo ships arrived at the Sevastopol seaport with the help of satellite images from Planet Labs Schemes.
Among them are installed dry cargo - Russian "Sailor Pozynych", "Sailor Cat", "Mikhail Nenashev", Syrian bulk carriers Finikia and Souria. Unidentified cargo ships were recorded by the satellite in early June.
The products shipped to the port of Sevastopol belong to Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine. According to Deputy Minister Taras Vysotsky, in Crimea "there has been no fusion for more than 7 years, grain could not grow there."
One of the ships, according to the satellite image, after leaving Sevastopol, was spotted in the Syrian port of Latakia, where Ukrainian grain was being unloaded from it.
"The first attempt was to implement - in North Africa. First there was an offer from Egypt. At our request and thank you, Egypt refused. Then - to Lebanon, he also refused. And in the end - in Syria. - This is a country that supports the aggressor and is a "gray zone", - said Taras Vysotsky.
Based on data from the Marine Traffic service and according to the analysis of maritime transport experts, based on the calculation of ship capacity and conditions of their full loading - during May and early June, the invaders could illegally export more than 180 thousand tons of grain during this period alone. in the investigation.
According to the specialized portal Markets Insider , the cost of grain in European markets as of May-early June averages 400 euros per ton. That is, the total cost of grain that the ships took out of the Crimea through the terminal "Avlita" can reach about 70 million euros, calculated "Schemes". At the exchange rate of the National Bank at the time of publication - it is more than 2 billion 135 million hryvnias.
Russia's illegal export of Ukrainian grain through the occupied Crimea to third countries is being investigated by the Ukrainian prosecutor's office.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russia of stealing Ukrainian grain in the occupied territories. Russia denies this.