Russia Resumes Stolen Ukrainian Grain Shipments to Syria Amid Food Crisis

Russia has resumed systematic shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain from occupied territories, including Crimea and temporarily occupied regions such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, to Syria, amidst Syria's severe food crisis caused by a historic drought. The dry cargo vessel DAMAS WAVE, sailing under the Comoros flag, has made multiple voyages transporting this grain between Crimea and Syria's port of Tartus, marking the third such shipment in recent months. Russia’s grain theft, ongoing since 2014 and intensified after the 2022 full-scale invasion, has resulted in the illegal export of about 15 million tons of grain, which Moscow markets globally as Russian-origin wheat, reaching at least 70 countries including Egypt, Türkiye, and Iran. Ukrainian officials have exposed a vast network involving over 1,000 ships and 155 captains engaged in transporting stolen goods, with Russia using the grain both as a war trophy and leverage, while farmers in occupied areas are forced to sell at below-market prices. Syria, dependent on imports to cover a wheat deficit of approximately 2.55 million tons in 2025, has seen official grain purchases halved and remains reliant on small private deliveries amid uncertain government stability. International appeals for sanctions against entities importing this stolen grain have been largely ignored, underscoring the complexity of addressing this large-scale grain plunder, which violates international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime.