A foreign cargo ship was held up in the waters of the port of Reni in the Odesa region. It was illegally exporting agricultural products through the ports of Crimea, which is still occupied.
The Prosecutor General’s Office website reports.
The investigation found that the ship flying the flag of Cameroon broke Ukrainian law and international maritime law by entering and leaving the port in occupied Sevastopol twice in 2023 and 2024. Ukraine had closed the port at the time.
To hide what they were doing, the ship’s automatic identification system was turned off, which is against the rules for maritime safety.
Right now, the captain of the ship is facing a notice of suspicion for breaking the rules for entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. We’re still deciding whether to transfer the ship to the Asset Recovery and Management Agency.
Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories thanked the country’s law enforcement agencies for taking action against those who had broken the law.
“I’d like to thank our law enforcement agencies for their hard work. This is a good reminder for those who think they can cooperate with the occupiers without facing consequences. Sooner or later, all violations of Ukrainian laws in the TOT will result in punishment for all those involved,” the official added.
If you know of any cases where Ukrainian legislation has been broken in the TOT, you can report it to the Ministry of Reintegration hotline on 1548.