Ukraine Arrests Ship and Detains Crew Accused of Looting Grain from Crimea

Ukraine’s Security Service and its State Board Service are reporting they have seized an unnamed cargo ship that they accursed of looting grain from Crimea. The action came as Ukraine continued to assert it would not cede the occupied region to Russia despite Donald Trump’s statements recognizing the area as Russian.

According to the announcement, Ukrainian forces detained the cargo ship in the “internal waters of the Black Sea area of Ukraine.” The SBU released pictures of its forces on the bridge of the vessel and documents it said it found during a search of the ship. They reported finding “physical evidence” during the search of the vessel and its navigational equipment that confirmed the “looting of Ukrainian agricultural products by the Russians.”

Ukraine is asserting the vessel loaded 5,000 tons of wheat in the port of Sevastopol in 2024, which it refers to as “temporarily occupied territory in southern Ukraine.” It further asserts the vessel was hiding its actions by “operating under the flag of one of the Asian countries.”

The vessel has now been officially arrested, and the crew placed in detention. Ukraine says the crew will be transferred for “procedural actions.”

Ukraine asserts it found physical evidence the ship transported wheat from Crimea in 2024 (SBU)

Ukraine has repeatedly accused the Russians of stealing grain and other materials during its occupation of ports and other areas in Ukraine and Crimea. Russia seized the Crimea peninsular in 2014. Last year, the open media source Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List published an exposé on the shipping of grain from Crimea.

Another vessel was seized in July 2024 by the Ukrainian authorities as the ship was sailing outbound on the Danube. It was alleged that the vessel had transported grain from Crimea in 2023 and again earlier in 2024. A Ukrainian court later awarded custody of the vessel to the state and ordered the captain and an officer detained for prosecution.

Today’s announcement followed statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that under his country’s constitution, he could not and would not cede Crimea to Russia. In the past, he has called Crimea a “red line” in the efforts to end the war with Russia.

Trump is being quoted in an interview published on April 25 in Time Magazine as saying “Crimea will stay with Russia … Zelensky understands that.” Trump has been critical of Ukraine saying it is prolonging the war and creating impediments to the peace talks which he is anxious to conclude.

Ukraine’s announcement of the seizure came as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to move the peace talks forward.