Since January 2026, Russian forces have exported almost 60,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat from the seaport of occupied Mariupol. Eight vessels carrying wheat have been dispatched.
This was reported by the Mariupol City Council.
“The Mariupol seaport has become an element of military logistics and a tool for plundering the occupied territories. The invaders are exporting grain, metal and other cargo. Furthermore, the occupiers are seeking to turn the port of Mariupol into a key logistics hub in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories,” the statement reads.
It was previously reported that a so-called “development strategy” for the captured port of Mariupol had been drawn up, running until 2040.
According to this strategy, the cargo capacity of vessels is expected to reach 25,000 tonnes. Currently, it ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 tonnes, according to the occupiers.
- Between January and April, 25 vessels from the Russian grain fleet made around 50 direct voyages from closed Ukrainian ports in the temporarily occupied territories to ports in third countries, the majority of which were intended to transport illegal grain cargoes.