How stolen Ukrainian grain reaches the global market and who pays for It – an Investigation

Russia demonstrates its true nature every day. For many years now, the acts of the aggressor state have constituted international and war crimes — terror, abduction of children, use of prohibited types of weapons… Unfortunately, this list can continue for a long time. One of these crimes is the theft of Ukrainian grain. According to various estimates, the total value of losses from this may reach $6.4 billion. During the full-scale invasion, Russia could have harvested and exported between 10 and 15 million tonnes of wheat — colossal volumes. For comparison, Romania, which is one of the largest agricultural countries in the European Union, harvested approximately 9 million tonnes of wheat in 2022. Thus, the volumes taken by the Russian Federation from Ukrainian lands exceed or equal the annual harvest of a large European state.

Journalists from Channel 24 obtained data from a hacked email of one of the Russian companies engaged in selling Ukrainian grain, as well as documents indicating that some of the grain in Russian ports is Ukrainian. In this investigation you will learn about the Russian companies and ships involved in stealing our harvest from temporarily occupied territories, as well as foreign firms that turn a blind eye to the origin of the goods and thereby assist Russia.

Shadow exports: how grain from temporarily occupied territories (TOT) becomes “Russian” in the ports of Kavkaz and Temryuk

Thanks to a document obtained by the editorial office of Channel 24, one of the key mechanisms of transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories becomes obvious.

Screenshot of the document / Channel 24

According to materials from the so-called “criminal case”, in 2023–2024 the “State Unitary Enterprise of Zaporizhzhia Region ‘Berdyansk Sea Commercial Port’” actively engaged in transshipment of grain and oilseed crops, which were then transported to the ports of Kavkaz, Temryuk, and Kerch. The enterprise’s total profit from this activity exceeded 168 million rubles. Among the main cargo shippers are the so‑called “State Grain Operator” and a shady entity called “OOO ‘Kristall‑2019’”, which until 2023 did not engage in any real business activity.

The ports of Kavkaz and Temryuk, which receive the main flow of grain from Berdyansk, are used as transit hubs. Through them, grain from temporarily occupied territories enters the international market under the guise of “Russian.” Thus, importing countries often unknowingly become accomplices in the legalization of stolen Ukrainian agricultural resources.

Infographic of the logistics routes of stolen Ukrainian grain / Channel 24

This case from the investigation is likely only the tip of the iceberg. Based on analysis of the provided materials and the overall context of logistics schemes functioning in temporarily occupied territories, we can assume that the shipment of grain from TOT to the ports of Kavkaz and Temryuk is not an isolated incident, but part of a large-scale systemic operation.

It appears this case gained publicity only because one side likely didn’t share profits with the local FSB branch — a structure that effectively coordinates and controls all processes in the occupied territories. Similar situations have repeatedly formed the basis for opening criminal cases in Russia, not for punishing crimes, but for redistributing shadow income streams.

It can be stated with high probability that there are other companies similar to “Kristall‑2019” also involved in the illegal transportation of stolen grain from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russian ports. These firms may be registered in Russia or in the TOT and used as “fronts” to mask the origin of agricultural products. Thanks to this, grain stolen from Ukrainian farmers ends up on the international market with Russian certificates.

Our editorial office was able to identify ships that docked at the temporarily occupied Berdyansk port to export Ukrainian harvest, as well as some of their crews.

Below you can see the relevant documents and a list of ships with crew members:

List of ships that steal Ukrainian grain / Channel 24

The documents we have include a route detail of the ship “KAPITAN YAKOVLEV.” In one summary the destination port was listed as Cyprus, in the next it was Temryuk. Journalist Kateryna Yaresko wrote about this incident on Twitter, which was corroborated by documents from our sources. Interestingly, in Temryuk the Russians didn’t even unload the vessel — the volume of wheat remained unchanged.

Document photo with list of ships / Channel 24

Document photo with list of ships / Channel 24

Turkey and Israel — buyers of stolen Ukrainian grain?

OOO “Agro‑Tema”, a Russian company engaged in agricultural trade, mainly grain, was surprisingly not created during the full-scale war. That is, since 2014 it has steadily grown its capacity and exported large volumes of wheat. Why are we interested in it? OOO “Agro‑Tema” is part of the mechanism by which Russia appropriates Ukrainian harvest — a middleman selling grain from TOT. According to annual reports, it increased its profits by 100 % in 2022 and by 355 % in 2023.

Screenshot of statistics from “Agro‑Tema” for 2022 / Checko.ru

Screenshot of statistics from “Agro‑Tema” for 2023 / Checko.ru

All shipments by Agro‑Tema are carried out from the Russian port of Temryuk. This port, as mentioned earlier, is often used as a hub for exporting stolen Ukrainian harvest.

Also, according to our sources, company owner Kerim Kaysinovich Temukuyev has connections with the collaborator and Gauleiter Yevhen Balytsky, who oversees and controls all activities in the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region.

Overall, nothing new — another company and its owner involved in the theft of Ukrainian grain. But there are countries buying Ukrainian grain from the Russians, thus financing the continuation of the war and normalizing the theft process. One such country is Turkey. Below you can see a contract by which a Turkish company purchases grain from Agro‑Tema, and the ship POLA VARVARA bearing US sanctions.

Contract screenshot between Agro‑Tema and Turkish company / Channel 24

The next contract we examine is between Agro‑Tema and the Israeli branch of the American company Archer‑Daniels‑Midland Company, or ADM, for delivery of grain from Temryuk port in Russia to Haifa, Israel.

Contract screenshot between Agro‑Tema and ADM’s Israeli branch / Channel 24

This time, the ship carrying the grain, PETROTRANS‑5901, is not on sanction lists. It is curious, since its sister ship PETROTRANS‑5902 is already listed there. Both vessels are linked to JSC “DTLK” and its CEO Yevgeniy Ivanovich Dietrich, but only one is targeted by US restrictions. We believe our sanction authorities should pay attention to this.

Returning to ADM — this company also purchases grain in Ukraine and has a local office. We reached out to ADM offices in both the US and Israel. Only the former responded. Although our inquiry referenced changes in profit statistics and ties to Zaporizhzhia Gauleiter Yevhen Balytsky, their representatives replied that they have no reason to believe the grain originates from Crimea, given their internal verification program. Why they mention the temporarily occupied peninsula — we cannot say for sure. We can only assume that the company does not differentiate between the TEMP of Zaporizhzhia region and Crimea.

Screenshot of ADM’s reply to our inquiry / Channel 24

Triumvirate of companies — one goal: assisting sale of stolen harvest

Russian need Ukrainian grain not only to steal it and sell it, but also to transport to ports, load onto ships, and dispatch it to destinations. This is handled by a triad of Russian firms — OOO “MA ‘FLAGMAN’”, OOO “VICTORY”, OOO “KATRAN”.

As seen from the previous contract between ADM’s Israeli branch and Agro‑Tema, delivery is carried out by the ship PETROTRANS‑5901. The agent responsible is OOO “MA ‘FLAGMAN’”.

Screenshot of invoice from hacked email / Channel 24

Another contract relates to Agro‑Tema, with loading services provided by OOO “KATRAN”.

Screenshot of act from hacked email / Channel 24

And yet another contract — for selling grain by OOO “VICTORY”.

Screenshot of contract from hacked email / Channel 24

All these firms help with logistics and sales, thus becoming accomplices in the theft of Ukrainian grain. All three companies were founded by the same person — Frolova Larysa Viktorivna, born 11.09.1967, TIN 230804997365.

Photo of Larysa Frolova / Telegram of Larysa Frolova

Her ex‑husband, Gia Heorhiyovych Kvichidze, is also involved through his agro‑company EVROTRAST (OGRN 1047796012725). His business also soared after the full‑scale invasion. Net profit in 2023 increased by 897 %.

Screenshot of EVROTRAST’s statistics / Checko.ru

We can assume he also manages the other companies of Frolova, as in all emails related to her triad, Larysa isn’t featured, but a copy is always sent to Kvichidze.

Grain pirates: names of vessels exporting Ukrainian grain

Thanks to data from the hacked email of one of the companies, we can identify vessels used in transporting grain for Agro‑Tema, and therefore Ukrainian grain.

List of ships stealing Ukrainian grain / Channel 24

Screenshots from emails listing ship names / Channel 24

The ship FEDOR from this list specializes in stealing Ukrainian grain. ONIX and LAZURITE have also repeatedly been noticed in this crime. POLA HARITA and POLA VARVARA are, according to the War & Sanctions portal from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, under sanctions due to participation in “energy projects.” This is actually due to their affiliation with the sanctioned company “Pola Rise” LLC, which does not exclude their involvement in looting our harvest from TOT. All other ships have not previously appeared in investigations or sanction lists.

Stolen grain, sold morality: the world’s complicity in Russia’s crime?

The theft of Ukrainian grain is a coordinated scheme involving logistics and major international companies. Every participant in this chain helps Russia turn a war crime into a profitable business. Ships with altered routes, contracts through intermediaries, buyers turning a blind eye — all this creates a semblance of legality for an obvious crime.

The fact that companies from Turkey, Israel, and the USA are involved highlights once again that morality and adherence to international law often yield to financial interests. Such actions not only fuel Russia's war machine, but also undermine trust in the global security and trade system.

Today it is important to remember: each contract involving stolen Ukrainian grain is a brick in the wall of impunity for the aggressor. And the extent to which Ukrainian and international bodies act to counter this criminal scheme depends not only on justice for Ukraine, but also on the future of the global order. Ukrainian grain should feed the world, not become an instrument of war.