Ukraine expects more seizures of ships carrying stolen grain after Swedish court ruling

This was stated by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian President’s Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, in a comment to Ukrinform.

“The Swedish court’s decision to arrest the vessel Caffa is the first practical result achieved following a request from the Ukrainian side concerning a ship used to illegally export Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories. The bulk carrier is under Ukrainian sanctions. It had previously been detained and has now been formally arrested at Ukraine’s request,” Vlasiuk said.

According to investigators, the vessel repeatedly violated regulations governing entry into ports located in temporarily occupied territories and was used to transport Ukrainian agricultural products.

Vlasiuk noted that schemes involving false registration were used to conceal the vessel’s routes. In particular, international databases listed the ship as Guinea False.

“The Swedish court accepted the investigators’ arguments and confirmed the legality of the arrest, noting that case materials indicate the vessel may have been involved in a crime being investigated as a war-related offense – namely entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine with the intent to harm the interests of the state, under Article 332-1 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. The court therefore supported Ukraine’s position and opened the way for further decisions within the framework of Ukrainian criminal proceedings,” he said.

According to Vlasiuk, if a Ukrainian court issues the relevant ruling, it could serve as grounds for the vessel’s final confiscation and transfer to Ukraine.

“That is precisely why this case is unprecedented,” he stressed.

“This is the first successful outcome in this category of cases and the result of joint efforts by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Office of the President, the Foreign Ministry, and the Office of the Prosecutor General. We are also grateful to the competent Swedish authorities and the court for their professional work and readiness to cooperate effectively with Ukraine,” Vlasiuk said, expressing hope that other countries would follow the same approach.

“It is important that Ukrainian requests regarding Russian vessels involved in transporting stolen goods from occupied territories or circumventing restrictions increasingly result in real legal decisions,” he added.

As reported, on March 6, the Swedish Coast Guard detained the cargo vessel Caffa in the Baltic Sea near the city of Trelleborg on suspicion of violating international maritime regulations. The vessel is subject to Ukrainian sanctions.

Swedish police stated that the ship was sailing under a false flag and was suspected of violating maritime law and vessel safety regulations.

One crew member was charged with violating national and international legislation. Most of the vessel’s 11 crew members are Russian nationals.

In late April, following a decision by Swedish prosecutors, the bulk carrier Caffa, which had been detained near Trelleborg while en route to Russia’s St. Petersburg, was confiscated.

On June 4, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced that a Swedish court had approved the arrest of the Caffa, which may have been involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian products from territory temporarily occupied by Russia.