By Olexsandr Fylyppov and Tim Lister, CNN
Russian troops in the occupied city of melitopol have stolen all the equipment from a farm equipment dealer and shipped it to Chechnya, according to a Ukrainian local businessman.
But after a trip of more than 700 miles, the thieves were unable to use any of the equipment, because it had been remotely locked.
In recent weeks there have been a growing number of reports of Russian troops stealing agricultural equipment, grain and even construction materials, beyond the widespread looting of residences. But the removal of valuable farm equipment from a John Deere dealer in melitopol He speaks of an increasingly organized operation, even using Russian military transport as part of the heist.
CNN has learned that the equipment was removed from an Agrotek dealership in Melitopol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March. In total, it is valued at almost 5 million dollars. The combines alone are worth $300,000 each.
CNN is not naming a Melitopol contact familiar with the details of the case for his own safety.
The contact said that the process began with the seizure of two combine harvesters, a tractor and a seeder. Over the next few weeks, everything else was removed: in total 27 pieces of farm machinery. One of the flatbed trucks used, and caught on camera, had a white “Z” painted on it and appeared to be a military truck.
The contact said that there were rival groups of Russian troops: some would come in the morning and others at night.
Some of the machinery was taken to a nearby town, but some of it embarked on a long overland journey to Chechnya, more than 700 miles away. The sophistication of the machinery, which is equipped with GPS, made it possible to track its route. It was last traced to the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.
The equipment transported to Chechnya, which included combine harvesters, can also be controlled remotely. “When the invaders brought the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized that they couldn’t even start them, because the harvesters were remotely locked,” the contact said.
The team now appears to be languishing on a farm near Grozny. But the contact said “it appears the hijackers have found consultants in Russia who are trying to circumvent protection.”
“Even if they sell combines for parts, they will make some money,” the contact said.
Other sources in the Melitopol region say the theft by Russian military units has extended to grain stored in silos, in a region that produces hundreds of thousands of tons of crops a year.
A source told CNN that “the squatters are offering local farmers a 50-50 share of their profits.” But farmers trying to work in areas occupied by Russian troops are unable to move their produce.
“Not a single elevator works. None of the ports are working. You will not take this grain from the occupied territory anywhere. “
So the Russian forces are simply taking the grain, the source said. “They steal it, take it to Crimea and that’s it.”
Last week, the mayor of Melitopol posted a video showing a convoy of trucks leaving Melitopol purportedly loaded with grain.
“We have clear evidence that they unloaded grain from the elevator in the city of Melitopol. They stole the elevator along with private estates,” the mayor told CNN.
The CNN Wire
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