VOLGO-BALT188

The vessel has been implicated in grain theft schemes involving the ports of the TOT (temporarily occupied territory) of Crimea, Ukraine, operating with its AIS (Automatic Identification System) disabled and conducting transshipment in the Kerch Strait area, including Port Kavkaz. russia has sought to conceal the origin of Ukrainian grain exported through the ports of the TOT of Crimea, Ukraine by using various methods, including ship-to-ship cargo transfers in the Kerch Strait. Through these actions, the vessel has participated in a scheme to "legalise" stolen Ukrainian grain and redirect it to third countries under the guise of russian-origin grain.
In September 2022, the vessel made two voyages carrying grain from the temporarily occupied Sevastopol – specifically from the Avlita grain terminal controlled by the United Shipbuilding Corporation (Объединённая судостроительная корпорация) – for transshipment in the Kerch Strait area, including Port Kavkaz.
A Ukrainian court has seized the vessel as part of criminal proceedings related to violations of the procedure for entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory.