The Belarusian company Agroproduct has been using raw materials from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast to produce rapeseed oil, which it then exported to the European Union.
An investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Schemes' in collaboration with journalists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Belarus, uncovered the supply chain that bypasses existing trade restrictions.
Despite a mid-2024 ban on Belarusian food imports, including rapeseed oil, one of the key destinations for Agroproduct’s shipments is Lithuania. Data from Russia’s state information system Zerno shows that in 2023, Belarus imported nearly 5,000 tons of rapeseed from occupied Kherson, with five companies, including Agroproduct, receiving these shipments.
According to Eurostat, EU nations purchased over 90,000 tons of rapeseed oil from Belarus in the first half of 2024, amounting to approximately €67 million. Alongside Lithuania, Latvia has also been identified as a key buyer. The Belarusian opposition group "Community of Railway Workers of Belarus" claims that around 50,000 tons of rapeseed oil exported to these countries last year came solely from Agroproduct.
Agroproduct has not been subjected to either European or Ukrainian sanctions. This means the company can not only sell oil to the EU but also purchase rapeseed from European and Ukrainian farmers.
Latvian and Lithuanian logistics firms confirmed their cooperation with Agroproduct during conversations with journalists, further linking the company to the illicit trade. Investigators also discovered connections between Agroproduct and the Belarusian government.
The company’s director, Oleg Teslyuk, has openly boasted about his ties to state authorities but refused to comment on whether the rapeseed used in production was sourced from occupied Ukrainian territories.
Martin Fornusek
