Sweden finally approves transfer of Russian ship involved in stolen grain case to Ukraine (Updated)

The Supreme Court of Sweden dismissed the complaint of Caffa Shipping Limited, which tried to block the transfer of the Caffa vessel to Ukraine. The decision was made on August 4, is final, and opens the way for the execution of the request from Ukrainian law enforcement officials.

Earlier, the first instance court in Ystad recognized the arrest of the vessel as lawful and ruled to transfer the Caffa, copies of documents, a hard drive, and a USB storage device to Ukraine. The appellate court upheld this decision, finding that the vessel could have been used during the removal of property from the territory occupied by Russia. Under Swedish law, the actions investigated by Ukraine may be classified as a war crime.

The Ukrainian side suspects Caffa of transporting grain, likely stolen in the temporarily occupied territories. According to Ukrainian data, in July 2025, the vessel loaded about 3000 tons of barley in occupied Sevastopol, after which it delivered the cargo to the Syrian Tartus. Further timelines and the procedure for the actual transfer of the vessel have not yet been disclosed.

The vessel was boarded by Swedish police and the coast guard in March. Later, its crew, mostly Russian, left Sweden, and Caffa itself remained empty and blocked in the port of Trelleborg.

Based on materials from: Euronews, Courts of Sweden, The Kyiv Independent