Ukraine May Pursue Sanctions Against Bangladeshi Buyers of Stolen Grain

 

The government of Ukraine may seek EU sanctions on firms and public officials in Bangladesh for allegedly importing cargoes of grain that are partially sourced from occupied territory. 

Exporters in Russia's Black Sea region routinely mix grain from Russia with grain from parts of Ukraine that are currently under Russian occupation. Ukraine considers agricultural goods from occupied areas to be stolen, and officials in Kyiv regularly pursue foreign buyers to discourage the practice. The former government of Syria was a major customer, before the collapse of the Assad regime, but other nations' importers now buy it as well - including traders in Bangladesh, according to Ukrainian diplomats. 

Reuters obtained several letters that Ukraine's embassy in New Delhi sent to the Bangladeshi foreign ministry about the matter. The correspondence suggests that as much as 150,000 tonnes of stolen grain was shipped from Kavkaz to Bangladeshi ports, mixed in with "legitimate" Russian grain and undetectable to the buyer. The Ukrainian ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, told Reuters that officials in Dhaka had not responded - even when threatened the possibility of sanctions and provided with a specific list of vessel names. 

The vessels are not currently under sanctions. To date, the EU, UK and U.S. have focused on sanctioning tankers, which account for the majority of Russia's export shipments by value. 

Ukraine has seized two ships for allegedly carrying stolen grain from Russian loading ports, and is planning to auction off one of them.