Russia suspected of smuggling 16.8 billion yuan of grain from Ukraine
The Associated Press and PBS investigations show that Russia is suspected of forging shipping manifests and stealing Ukrainian grain worth regarding $530 million (regarding NT$16.8 billion) by sea. Using satellite imagery and broadcast radio transponders, the media tracked more than 50 voyages of more than 30 ships and found that these ships were transporting grain from the occupied Ukraine to the Middle East. Moscow vehemently denies it, and some legal experts believe the act may have amounted to a war crime.
Take the vessel Nenashev, which was loaded at the Avlita Grain Terminal in Crimea in June, with radio transponders turned off, and arrived in Turkey at the end of the month, an exclusive video shows. Loads of grain are being unloaded at a terminal owned by steelmaker MMK Metalurji, owned by Russian billionaire Viktor Rashnikov, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been sanctioned by Europe and the United States.
“The Associated Press” also checked with the steel dealer, and the documents it produced showed that the port of loading was Port Kavkaz, a small Russian port, but in fact the port might hardly accommodate the 170-meter-long Neenashev; Syria The Laodicea, a registered ship, used a similar approach. In addition, Russia will dispatch large and small ships to confuse, or mix grains to cover up the true source. Since the Russian-Ukrainian war, global food prices have soared, and smuggling operations have been lucrative, turning to pay for the Russian war. Rumors have been rampant; Turkey promised in June to prevent similar incidents from happening, but said it had found no evidence of smuggling.
