Sweden seizes vessel suspected of illegally exporting Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied territories
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A Swedish court on June 4 ordered to seize the Caffa, a sanctioned cargo vessel, following a request from Ukraine, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said.
"This is the first case in which, following a request for international legal assistance from the Ukrainian prosecution authorities, a foreign court has approved the seizure of a vessel allegedly involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian goods from the temporarily occupied territories," Kravchenko said.
In March, Sweden intercepted the vessel in the Baltic Sea. Although it was flying the Guinean flag, the coast guard deemed it stateless.
The Caffa repeatedly entered and left Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine in violation of the law. To conceal its activities, it used false registration and was listed in international databases as "Guinea False," the prosecutor general said.
According to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's commissioner for sanctions, the Caffa ship was traveling from Morocco to St. Petersburg, transporting grain.
He said that the vessel was previously involved in stealing grain from occupied Ukrainian territories, including a shipment from the port of Sevastopol in Crimea in July 2025. The vessel unloaded its cargo at Tartus port in Syria, the official added.
Kyiv requested that Sweden's Justice Ministry search the vessel, question its captain and crew members, and order its seizure.
"This case sends a clear message: no manipulation of flags, routes, or registration records will help avoid accountability," Kravchenko said. "Ukraine sees it, documents it, and proves it."
According to Kyiv, Russia has been systematically seizing grain from territories under its occupation and arranging its export through networks tied to the occupying administration.
These operations, Ukraine maintains, violate not only international norms but also the domestic laws of countries that receive such cargo.
Between January and April, 25 vessels from the Russian grain fleet made 50 voyages from occupied Ukrainian ports to third countries, mostly carrying illegal grain shipments, according to Ukrainian officials. During this period, over 850,000 tons of grain were exported from the occupied territories of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
