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An investigation by Bellingcat has identified yet another Russian-flagged bulk carrier, exporting grain from occupied Crimea to Libya. This adds Libya to the list of countries willing to accept what the Ukrainian government describes as “stolen” grain. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/06...

On February 15, the bulk carrier Grumant (IMO 9385879) was pictured at the occupied Ukrainian port of Feodosia on the Crimean peninsula. The region is known for GNSS interference, meaning that its publicly reported Automated Identification System (AIS) position is unreliable. 📷: @vantortech

In addition to satellite imagery, Bellingcat deployed a technique that analysed Grumant’s heading data which was contained in AIS information provided by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, to help confirm Grumant’s presence in Feodosia.

After leaving the port of Feodosia, and the area of signal interference, we can track its journey to Izmir, Turkey. It anchored off the coast for three weeks, never entering the port of Izmir. It is not known if it was denied entry.

It then continues to another Turkish port, Aliağa, but again does not enter the port. Instead, it proceeds onward towards Libyan waters. From March 16 till April 18, the Grumant is located along the coast near Benghazi.

Grumant leaves the anchorage on April 18 and docks at the port of Benghazi where it unloads the grain. The ship was captured in a Vantor satellite image on April 20. 📷: @vantortech

Ukrainian authorities told Bellingcat that the loading of grain exported from the temporarily occupied territories is an illegal act and Russia was using ports as logistics centers to export stolen Ukrainian agricultural products.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent information about Grumant’s “illegal activities” to the diplomatic missions in Great Britain, the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Tunisia over the course of March to May this year, the ministries told Bellingcat.

Five of the ships we identified in previous investigations into the smuggled Ukrainian grain shipments have since been sanctioned by the EU while another was sanctioned by the US Department of Treasury.

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