Revealed Hacked Documents; Iran Among Buyers of Stolen Grain from Ukraine by Russia

The illegal sale of grain and agricultural products from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine is not a new issue, but recently hacked documents obtained by investigative journalists identify Iran and even countries like Spain as buyers of these looted goods. The documents indicate that the company responsible for illegal trade with Iran operates under individuals close to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. In the summer of 2021, six months before the onset of Russia's extensive military invasion, farmers in the Kherson region of Ukraine reported a record harvest of over three million tons of grain. Following the occupation of this province by Russian soldiers, officials appointed by Russia informed Ukrainian companies that had been active in the region before the war that their assets would henceforth be considered 'confiscated.' On the last day of 2022, the Russian government approved special laws for the occupied areas of Ukraine, which included the removal of export tariffs. Investigative journalism research shows that Russian companies, using these laws, illegally exported about 34,000 tons of grain worth approximately six million euros from the Kherson region of Ukraine. This amount is only a small portion of the grain that Russia has illegally exported from the occupied areas of Ukraine. The targeted ship by the Houthis was carrying grain 'destined for Iran.' The mentioned investigations were conducted by investigative journalists from the Ukrainian section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Russian publication 'Vesti,' and a Belarusian research center associated with the international project on organized crime and financial corruption, referencing documents obtained with the help of the keyboard hacking group. The hacked documents show that Russian companies Simtrans Group, Fergat, and Palada were involved in this illegal export. Simtrans Group has become the largest wheat exporter to Azerbaijan; Fergat sells Kherson corn to Syria and Turkey, and Palada sold 4,500 tons of chickpeas to Spain last fall, violating EU sanctions. Most of the hacked documents pertain to the Russian company Palada, one of which is a contract for the sale of over 80,000 tons of barley to Iran. The hacked documents confirm the delivery of at least half of this volume at the 'Imam Khomeini' port. These documents indicate that Palada was established a month before the war began and, despite Russia's economic problems, made a net profit of 13 million euros in its first year of operation and 8.5 million euros last year. The company's director, Sergey Kuznetsov, is actually a representative of Krashimir Filipovich from Croatia. Filipovich is accused of hiding part of Vladimir Putin's assets in the Balkans and Cyprus and transferring them to the Kaliningrad free trade zone in Russia after the war began. He has also overseen the construction of a palace in Gelendzhik, Russia, which is said to belong to Putin and is estimated to be worth over one billion euros.