Russia exported $400M worth of grain from occupied territories in 2025 – intelligence

Russia exported more than two million tonnes of grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, worth $400 million, in 2025.

Oleh Luhovskyi, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"In 2025, Russia exported more than two million tonnes of grain from our temporarily occupied territories, worth $400 million. The consumers are countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia," he said.

According to Luhovskyi, the grain is transported by Russia's "grain fleet" through seaports located in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.

Intelligence reports indicate that Russia has established a "grain hub" in international waters at the exit from the Kerch Strait. There, the grain is transshipped from Russian small-capacity bulk carriers onto foreign cargo vessels in an attempt to conceal its origin. The operation involves 45 ships, two storage vessels, and about 40 coastal shipping vessels. Eighty-five percent of these ships are registered under Russian jurisdiction, which helps minimize the impact of sanctions.

In addition to grain, Russia is exporting coal, coke, kaolin, iron ore, soda, and steel from the occupied territories.

Luhovskyi said that more than 200,000 tonnes of minerals and metallurgical products were shipped by sea last year alone.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, intelligence has already identified 45 vessels involved in the theft of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied territories.