In the shadow of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a quiet but significant form of economic exploitation is unfolding in the occupied territories. While the world focuses on missiles and military offensives, Russia has opened another front in its war-a campaign of economic looting, with Ukrainian grain at its center. Recent revelations suggest this effort may not be entirely domestic. According to an investigation led by Slidstvo.Info in partnership with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a company affiliated with Danish inspection giant Baltic Control has been actively involved in certifying and inspecting grain exports from occupied Ukrainian ports.

This involvement raises serious ethical and legal concerns, particularly because the export of goods from occupied territories constitutes a violation of international law. The Hague Regulations of 1907, which form the basis of modern international humanitarian law, clearly prohibit occupying powers from exploiting the resources of occupied lands for their own gain. If the allegations are substantiated, Baltic Control and its affiliates may be complicit in what Ukraine considers a war crime-pillage.

Russia’s occupation of parts of southern Ukraine has not only allowed its military to entrench itself along the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coastlines, but also provided it with key commercial ports previously used for legitimate Ukrainian exports. Chief among these are the ports of Mariupol and Berdiansk, which have been repurposed under Russian control to facilitate the shipment of grain and other agricultural products-assets that Ukraine claims have been looted.

In 2022, President Vladimir Putin declared, with evident satisfaction, that “the Sea of Azov has become an internal sea of the Russian Federation.” This seemingly symbolic assertion marked a very tangible shift in regional power dynamics. For Russia, the ports at Mariupol and Berdiansk are more than trophies; they are tools of economic extraction. Grain, harvested in occupied Ukrainian territories, is now being transported out of these ports, aiding the Russian........

© Blitz