Russia has illegally shipped nearly 90,000 tons of wheat through occupied Mariupol port in 2026, Ukraine says

Russia has shipped 88,800 metric tons of wheat through the occupied port of Mariupol since the start of 2026, Mariupol's city council in exile said on June 23.

Twelve vessels transported wheat through the Russian-occupied port of Mariupol over the past five months, according to the statement, which cited Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor).

Since the start of Russia's occupation, the Russian-installed authorities in Mariupol have worked to restore the port for large-scale grain exports from occupied Ukrainian territories. Moscow intended to use the port as a gateway through the Volga-Don Canal to the Caspian Sea and, via the Black and Mediterranean seas, to the Atlantic and Indian oceans, according to the council's statement.

The port's operations were later disrupted by Ukraine's missile strike campaign targeting Russian logistics, the National Guard's 1st Azov Corps said on June 10.

According to the corps, the strike hit electrical substations, radar systems, repair facilities, a control tower, fuel storage tanks, and the sanctioned cargo vessel Lady Augusta, a vessel linked to Russia's shadow fleet.

The current operational status of the port remains unclear.

Russia has engaged in the systematic seizure of grain from its occupied territories, orchestrating exports through various networks since the start of the full-scale war, according to Ukrainian officials.

Kyiv maintains that these operations violate international law as well as the domestic statutes of countries that accept such shipments.

Russia harvested around 30 million metric tons of grains and oilseeds in the occupied territories in the first three years of the all-out war, with the total potentially reaching 50 million metric tons including the current season by the first half of 2026, Deputy Economy Minister Taras Vysotskyi said in an interview with DW published on May 19.

According to Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Russia exported around 2 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain in 2025 alone, selling it to buyers in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. In 2026, Ukraine publicly accused Israel and Egypt of accepting shipments of grain looted from occupied territories.

Moscow also allocated 8 billion rubles ($107 million) in 2025 to support farmers in the newly occupied territories, Reuters reported.

Mariupol is one of Russia's most important logistics hubs in occupied southern Ukraine, serving as a key link between occupied Donetsk Oblast, Crimea, and Russia. Mariupol's port has been used to transport military cargo and support Russian operations along the southern front.