The Belarusian firm Agroproduct has been utilizing uncooked supplies from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast to supply rapeseed oil, which it then exported to the European Union.
An investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Schemes' in collaboration with journalists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Belarus, uncovered the availability chain that bypasses current commerce restrictions.
Regardless of a mid-2024 ban on Belarusian meals imports, together with rapeseed oil, one of many key locations for Agroproduct’s shipments is Lithuania. Information from Russia’s state data system Zerno reveals that in 2023, Belarus imported practically 5,000 tons of rapeseed from occupied Kherson, with 5 corporations, together with Agroproduct, receiving these shipments.
In line with Eurostat, EU nations bought over 90,000 tons of rapeseed oil from Belarus within the first half of 2024, amounting to roughly €67 million. Alongside Lithuania, Latvia has additionally been recognized as a key purchaser. The Belarusian opposition group "Group of Railway Staff of Belarus" claims that round 50,000 tons of rapeseed oil exported to those international locations final yr got here solely from Agroproduct.
Agroproduct has not been subjected to both European or Ukrainian sanctions. This implies the corporate can’t solely promote oil to the EU but additionally buy rapeseed from European and Ukrainian farmers.
Latvian and Lithuanian logistics companies confirmed their cooperation with Agroproduct throughout conversations with journalists, additional linking the corporate to the illicit commerce. Investigators additionally found connections between Agroproduct and the Belarusian authorities.
The corporate’s director, Oleg Teslyuk, has brazenly boasted about his ties to state authorities however refused to touch upon whether or not the rapeseed utilized in manufacturing was sourced from occupied Ukrainian territories.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
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