Ukraine announced on Thursday that it has intercepted a ship illegally transporting grain from Russian-occupied Crimea.

Since the beginning of 2022, when Russia seized large agricultural areas in Ukraine, Kyiv has accused Moscow of illegally seizing grain grown in the occupied territories and shipping it to third countries.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said it had detained a foreign ship in the Odessa region that had previously exported agricultural products through the port of Sevastopol in Crimea.

In a separate statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it had detained the captain of the vessel on charges of violating the rules of access to the occupied territory.

It also states that the grain exported by the vessel in question, the „Usko Mfu, was grown in southern Ukraine.

These charges carry a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment, the SBU said. The prosecutor's office said the captain of the ship is an Azerbaijani citizen.

The prosecutor's report said there were 12 other foreign crew members on board the ship at the time of the arrest, but did not specify their nationalities. Nor does it say whether they also face charges.

The Cameroonian-flagged vessel illegally entered the port of Sevastopol in November 2023. It was loaded with more than 3,000 tonnes of agricultural products destined for a Turkish company, the prosecutor's office said.

„In order to conceal the illegal activity, the ship's automatic identification system (AIS) was switched off before entering the port of Sevastopol, which is a gross violation of maritime security requirements“, – said the statement.

According to the prosecutor's office, the „Usko Mfu“ returned to Sevastopol in May this year and has now been detained in the Ukrainian port of Rhenish. Documents issued by Sevastopol port officials were found on board.

The European Union imposed prohibitive duties on grain imports from Russia in May, in an attempt to undermine Moscow's revenues as a result of its war against Ukraine.

Block's trade commissioner said the measure was aimed at preventing Russia from illegally exporting stolen Ukrainian grain to EU markets.