Turkish UN supplier buys grain stolen in Mariupol from Russian drone producers – investigation

A Turkish company Erisler, which supplies the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has been buying Ukrainian grain stolen from temporarily occupied Mariupol through the Russian firm Nika, whose owners are also involved in producing drones for the Russian Armed Forces.

Source: Slidstvo.Info, a team of independent professional journalists

Details: An investigation revealed that the Russian company Nika had shipped over 54,000 tonnes of wheat from occupied Mariupol to Türkiye in 2023-2024.

Investigators found that the owner of Nika is Russian businessman Roman Gurov. He is also the CEO of the sanctioned company Roboavia, which manufactures Sarych reconnaissance drones and Surprise attack drones for the Russian occupation forces.

According to Russian customs data, in 2023 Nika exported wheat worth US$3.7 million to Türkiye and Egypt, while in 2024 this volume nearly quadrupled to 59,500 tonnes worth US$12.9 million.

All product compliance declarations from July 2022 to early 2026 state that the company's production facilities are located in occupied Mariupol.

Customs declarations indicate that the recipient of the grain in Türkiye was listed as Global Commodities and Logistics Limited, however part of the cargo ultimately went to Erisler. The Turkish company produces flour and instant noodles, which are also sold in Ukraine.

Journalists found that laboratory testing of one batch of wheat received by Erisler in April 2024 was conducted by the Ukrainian office of the international company Cotecna in Odesa.

"Cotecna categorically denies any allegations of providing services related to agricultural goods exported from areas of Ukraine not controlled by the government, including Mariupol," representatives of the company's Geneva office said in response to journalists' inquiry.

Background:

• In June 2022, Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine's ambassador to Türkiye, stated that Russia was exporting stolen Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories to Türkiye using forged documents, under which the cargo was labelled as "Russian".
• In August 2025, Reuters, citing the Ukrainian government, reported that Russia had stolen around 15 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
• Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service reported that over 2 million tonnes of agricultural products were stolen in 2025 alone.

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