A Swedish court on Thursday approved the seizure of a sanctioned cargo ship suspected of transporting grain from areas in Ukraine occupied by Russia.
In March, Swedish authorities intercepted the vessel, identified as the Caffa, in the Baltic Sea while it was en route to the Russian port of Saint Petersburg.
“This is the first case in which, following a request for international legal assistance from the Ukrainian prosecution authorities, a foreign court has approved the seizure of a vessel allegedly involved in the legal export of Ukrainian goods from the temporarily occupied territories,” Ukrainian officials said in a statement.
Authorities said the sanctioned ship violated entry and exit rules from the occupied Ukrainian territory and sailed with a false Guinean flag. Swedish authorities took the vessel into custody and questioned the crew.
“Russia continues to plunder Ukrainian resources in the temporarily occupied territories,” Ukrainian prosecutors said. “Ukraine, however, is systematically documenting these crimes: tracing routes, identifying vessels, recording unlawful calls at ports in the occupied territories, and using all available mechanisms of international legal assistance.”
The Caffa was previously suspected of stealing grain from the port of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea in July 2025. The vessel later unloaded its cargo at the Russian-controlled port of Tartus in Syria, officials said.
“This case sends a clear message: No manipulation of flags, routes or registration records will help avoid accountability,” Ukrainian prosecutors said. “Ukraine sees it, documents it and proves it.”
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