Russia exported 2 million tons of grain from Ukraine

In 2025, Russia exported more than two million tons of grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. It was sold to the markets of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and partly to Europe.

This was announced on January 15 by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.

Forty percent of all illegally exported Ukrainian grain went to Egypt. The rest was distributed among the states of the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

For transportation, Russia uses the ports of the Azov and Black Seas and created a hidden grain fleet, forty-five ships were installed that exported grain from the occupied territories.

Ukraine has already imposed restrictions on 43 such ships and 39 captains. The minister said that Ukrainian services are tracking companies that trade in stolen grain and passing on information to partners.

Sibiga stressed that the activities of the hidden grain fleet threaten global food security and directly finance Russia’s war against Ukraine. He called on the European Union to more actively apply sanctions instruments and strengthen coordination with the Frontex agency.

The Foreign Minister noted that Russian troops occupied some of the most fertile agricultural lands in Europe. The harvest was either confiscated or bought up at low prices, often under duress. The exact commercial value of the trade in stolen grain is difficult to estimate, but its scale remains large.

In April 2025, the United States had already imposed sanctions against several Russian citizens, companies and vessels that participated in the export of Ukrainian grain.