Ukraine Names Ship Captains Transporting Stolen Grain

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has publicly identified 31 ship captains allegedly involved in transporting stolen Ukrainian grain. This action aims to hold accountable those profiting from war-driven suffering.

“They have the option to reject illegal activities, yet they choose to profit from the ongoing conflict,” stated a representative from Ukraine’s presidential office. The official also hinted that a similar list for ship captains bypassing sanctions to carry Russian oil would be released soon.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s agricultural exports are in steep decline. According to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ukrainian corn exports are expected to drop by 38% from last year to 17.8 million tons.

Wheat exports may decrease by 18% to 15.2 million tons, while barley shipments could fall by 19% to 2 million tons. These projections assume no major disruptions to Ukraine’s energy grid or port infrastructure.

The Black Sea has become increasingly dangerous for merchant vessels as Russian military presence escalates in the region, targeting Ukrainian exports. For most of the year, merchant ships avoided conflict, but recent weeks have seen several commercial vessels attacked by Russian forces.

In response, Ukraine has called on the International Maritime Organization to dispatch a monitoring mission to oversee the situation.