Exporting grain, coal and metal: Russia “opens” the occupied ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk to foreign ships

Russia has officially added the occupied ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk to the list of “open” to foreign ships. The decision is aimed at large-scale export of looted grain, coal and metal from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, allowing the Kremlin to legalize the illegal export of Ukrainian resources on world markets.

This was reported by the press service of the Center for Transport Strategies (CTS).

It is noted that Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order to include the occupied ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol in the list of ports open to foreign vessels.

This decision is another step in the systematic plunder of Ukraine. The Kremlin is trying to use Ukrainian infrastructure to export grain, metal, and coal, formally registering the exports as legal international trade.

The port of Mariupol was one of the main hubs for the export of coal and metal from Donbass before the start of the full-scale war. Now the occupation administration of the so-called “DPR” openly declares that the opening to foreign ships makes it possible to increase the pace of illegal export of products. According to analysts, from 40 to 60 thousand tons of coal are already shipped through the port every month.

Berdyansk has traditionally been a grain port. Last year alone, the occupiers illegally exported over 300,000 tons of Ukrainian grain through it. According to their plans, this volume could increase fourfold by 2027, to 1.2 million tons per year. This indicates the creation of a long-term scheme for the exploitation of the occupied territories.

Moscow’s decision has two dimensions at once. In economic terms, Russia is trying to cover its own losses from international sanctions by actively exporting and selling Ukrainian resources on world markets. In political terms, the Kremlin is trying to show that it is able to consolidate control over the occupied territories by passing off Ukrainian ports as its own and trying to legalize their use.

By the way, in July , Ukraine first recorded the use of the port in temporarily occupied Mariupol for the supply of armored vehicles.

As is known, the Kremlin plans to increase the share of stolen grain from occupied regions of Ukraine in the total volume of the Russian harvest due to unfavorable conditions in the Russian Federation itself. This year, Russia is expected to have a “compact harvest” due to drought, sanctions and limited access to machinery, and grain sales volumes in June have already fallen by 34.5%.

Recall that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has exported 15 million tons of Ukrainian grain from the occupied territories.

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