{
  "id": 15618818,
  "title": "Ukraine opens its first war-crime case against a ship captain for carrying off 54,000 tons of its stolen grain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/ukraine-opens-its-first-war-crime-case-against-a-ship-captain-for",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T15:06:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/10/19/ukraine-opens-its-first-war-crime-case-against-a-ship-captain-for-carrying-off-54000-tons-of-its-stolen-grain/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukraine's Security Service and Prosecutor General’s Office have filed war-crime charges against the captain of the cargo ship Matros Pozynich. The captain is accused of illegally transporting over 54,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat, which Russian forces seized from occupied territory. According to Ukraine's intelligence, Russia has looted more than 2 million tons of grain from Ukraine and exported it abroad, with this year's theft alone estimated at over 2 million tons. This marks the first time Ukraine has classified a ship captain's involvement in this trade as a war crime. The captain, a Russian national, made two voyages carrying wheat from occupied Sevastopol in Crimea to Latakia, Syria, in 2022 and 2023. The shipments were ordered by the Russian state's highest political leadership, violating the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the pillaging of property in occupied territories. To conceal their activities, the captain reportedly disabled the ship's automatic identification system and provided false coordinates. The Security Service is investigating other individuals involved in this scheme. This single ship represents a significant portion of the grain theft, with Russia having taken around 15 million tons of Ukrainian grain from occupied areas between 2022 and August 2025, generating at least $1 billion for the war effort. Much of this grain is traded through Russian-controlled ports, such as Sevastopol, and often mislabeled or disguised to conceal its Ukrainian origin. Some buyers include Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and others, although Egypt has recently pledged to cease accepting grain from occupied territories.",
  "summary": "Ukraine opens a war-crime case over the Matros Pozynich captain.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}