Security Service of Ukraine identifies those who helped Russia steal Ukrainian grain – from a former member of parliament to foreign ships
ROMAN PETRENKO — THURSDAY, 4 AUGUST 2022, 18:01
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has identified traitors who helped the Russian Federation steal more than 650,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia. Among them is Evhenii Balytskyi, a former member of parliament belonging to the Party of the Regions [a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine previously headed by former president Viktor Yanukovych - ed.] and then the Opposition Block.
Source: Security Service of Ukraine
Details: The stolen grain was estimated to be worth $200 million.
The SSU has established the entire chain of those involved, starting with the traitors who signed the permits to export the grain, and ending with all the crew members of the 10 Russian ships which transported the pillaged grain.
The SSU has announced that the following people are under suspicion:
- Yevgenii Balytskyi — the head of the Russian-appointed administration in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast;
- Oleksandr Saulenko — the self-proclaimed "acting mayor" of Berdiansk;
- Volodymyr Stelmachenko — "director" of the Berdiansk sea trading port.
The Russians used ships flying the Russian and Syrian flags to steal grain, namely the Nadezhda, Sormovsky-48, Fedor, Matros Koshka, Matros Pozynych, Zhibek Zholy, Saint Konstantin, Mikhail Nenashev and Laodicea.
SSU operatives have identified five more foreign ships transporting grain from ports in the occupied territories.
Background: Balytskyi helped the occupiers and has been informed that he is under suspicion of having committed a crime.
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