Sweden confiscates ship with stolen Ukrainian grain – President’s Office calls to scale up this practice
Following Sweden’s decision to confiscate the cargo ship Caffa carrying stolen Ukrainian grain, Ukraine is calling for systematic continuation of such measures to prevent illegal exports from occupied territories.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the President’s Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, stated this in comments to Ukrinform.
“Sweden’s decision to confiscate the bulk carrier Caffa, linked to Russia’s shadow fleet and the unlawful removal of Ukrainian grain from occupied territories, sets an important precedent in sanctions enforcement. This is no longer merely detention, but a decisive move to enforcement,” Vlasiuk said.
He noted that similar vessels previously expected only inspections or brief detentions. “Confiscation" changes the rules of the game,” he emphasized.
Vlasiuk explained that Russia employs its shadow fleet to export resources from occupied territories, including grain, seeking to channel these shipments into global markets through complex logistics routes.
“Ukraine is systematically working to dismantle these schemes: identifying vessels, operators, and routes, and tracking practices such as transponder shutdowns or mid‑sea cargo transfers. This shifts the issue from the political to the legal domain,” he said.
He welcomed Sweden’s step and added that such measures should be expanded, both against individual vessels and against Russia’s shadow fleet as a whole.
“This is also a matter of principle: attempts to export and sell Ukrainian grain will not go unanswered, and accountability efforts will continue at the level of the EU, G7, and other jurisdictions,” Vlasiuk stressed.
As reported, on March 6, Sweden’s coast guard detained the cargo ship Caffa in the Baltic Sea near Trelleborg on suspicion of violating international shipping rules. The vessel, under Ukrainian sanctions, was sailing under a false flag and suspected of breaching maritime law and safety regulations.
One crew member was charged with violating national and international law. Most of the ship’s 11 crew members are Russian nationals. Following a decision by Sweden’s prosecutor’s office, the cargo ship Caffa, detained en route to St. Petersburg, was confiscated.
Photo: Swedish Coast Guard