Russian dpty Minister of Agriculture suspected of illegally transporting more than 4 mln tonnes of grain from TOT – PGO
A deputy minister of agriculture of the Russian Federation has been charged with organizing a large-scale illegal seizure of assets of state- and privately owned enterprises in the Ukrainian agro-industrial complex, following the start of the full-scale invasion and continuing until December 31, 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) reports.
"It’s about the property of well-known Ukrainian companies: Nibulon LLC, the TESSLAGROUP group of companies, Kernel-Trade LLC, the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine, and others. The total volume of grain embezzled exceeds 4.136 million tonnes, which, according to preliminary estimates, amounts to more than UAH 23 billion," the agency's website reported on Tuesday.
The defendant acted in collusion with the leadership of the aggressor country and the heads of the occupation administrations in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions.
The stolen goods were transported to Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea, from where they were subsequently exported by sea under the guise of goods of Russian origin to Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and other countries.
"Such actions are not justified by any military necessity and constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law," the message says.
Based on the evidence collected, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation was notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war). The penalty under this article is imprisonment for a term of 8 to 12 years.
The Russian Minister of Agriculture and one of the heads of a department within that ministry were previously notified of suspicion. The investigation into other Russian officials involved is ongoing.