The management of the Odesa company is suspected of helping the Russian Federation sell stolen grain worth UAH 60 million

Law enforcement officers have detained the director of a foreign companyʼs branch in Odesa and the head of its laboratory. They are suspected of helping Russia conceal the Ukrainian origin of almost 8 000 tons of grain stolen from occupied Mariupol.

This was reported by the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office (PGO) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

According to the investigation, in 2024, the Russians loaded 7 857 tons of Ukrainian wheat worth over UAH 60 million onto the sanctioned ship "Alpha M" at the port of Mariupol.

The grain was transported to the Russian port of Temryuk in the Krasnodar Territory, where documents were issued stating the wheatʼs alleged Russian origin.

After that, according to law enforcement officials, Russian representatives turned to an Odesa company that is engaged in quality control and certification of agricultural products.

The investigation believes that the branch director and the laboratory manager knew that the grain came from Ukraine, but they issued documents that helped hide its true origin.

The wheat was then exported abroad for processing and sale. The Prosecutor Generalʼs Office says it was delivered to Turkey. Investigators are also investigating whether the products could have subsequently reached the EU and Ukraine.

During searches of the detainees and the companyʼs office, documents, laboratory reports, computers, and phones were seized.

Both were charged with aiding and abetting an aggressor state committed in a prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The court remanded them in custody with the possibility of posting bail. The defendants face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

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