Occupiers restore power supply to port of Mariupol in order to steal grain
MONDAY, 25 JULY 2022, 13:59 - DANA GORDIICHUK
The Russian occupiers have restored electricity to the port of Mariupol so that they can use it to export grain stolen from Ukrainian farmers.
This was reported by Petro Andriushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, on Telegram.
According to Andriushchenko, preparations for the transshipment of grain are currently underway. He said the first grain trucks travelling towards the port were recorded in the city on Sunday.
The grain trucks had entered the city from the direction of Donetsk, he said.
In early July, the occupiers in Mariupol also began operating a towing crane to clear the dry channel and the water area of the port, so that stolen Ukrainian grain and metal could be exported by ship.
Background:
Since May, the occupiers have been trying to partially rebuild the port in occupied Mariupol where Ukrainian metal and grain are located.
According to Ihor Barskii, the director of the port, on 23 February there were about 200,000 tonnes of metal and cast iron worth US$170 million in the territory of the port. There was significantly less grain - 3,400 tonnes in warehouses and another 9,000 tonnes on a foreign-flagged ship near one of the berths.
First, the occupiers unlocked the old gate of the port. Given that the depth is about 3.5 m, river-type vessels with a small draft could enter there. However, Russian vessels cannot enter the port until the water area of the port is cleared of sunken marine transport.
