Russian troops in Melitopol plunder $5M farm autos from Ukraine — to find they’ve been remotely disabled
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However after a journey of greater than 700 miles, the thieves had been unable to make use of any of the equipment -- as a result of it had been locked remotely.
Over the past few weeks there's been a rising variety of reports of Russian troops stealing farm equipment, grain and even building materials - beyond widespread looting of residences. However the removal of helpful agricultural gear from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, one that even uses Russian navy transport as part of the heist.CNN has learned that the equipment was faraway from an Agrotek dealership in Melitopol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March. Altogether it is valued at practically $5 million. The mix harvesters alone are price $300,000 each.
CNN just isn't naming a contact in Melitopol accustomed to the details of the case for their very own safety.
The contact mentioned the process began with the seizure of two combine harvesters, a tractor and a seeder. Over the next few weeks, everything else was eliminated: in all 27 items of farm machinery. One of the flat-bed trucks used, and caught on camera, had a white "Z" painted on it and gave the impression to be a navy truck.
The contact mentioned there have been rival teams of Russian troops: some would come within the morning and a few in the night.
A number of the equipment was taken to a nearby village, however some of it embarked on a protracted overland journey to Chechnya more than 700 miles away. The sophistication of the machinery, which are geared up with GPS, meant that its journey could be tracked. It was final tracked to the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.
The tools ferried to Chechnya, which included mix harvesters -- will also be managed remotely. "When the invaders drove the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized that they may not even turn them on, because the harvesters have been locked remotely," the contact stated.
The equipment now appears to be languishing at a farm close to Grozny. However the contact stated that "it seems that the hijackers have discovered consultants in Russia who're attempting to bypass the safety."
"Even if they sell harvesters for spare elements, they are going to earn some cash," the contact stated.
Other sources in the Melitopol area say theft by Russian navy units has extended to grain held in silos, in a area that produces a whole bunch of hundreds of tonnes of crops a year.
One source informed CNN that "the occupiers are providing native farmers to share their income 50% to 50%." However the farmers making an attempt 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 anyplace. "
So Russian forces are simply taking the grain, the source stated. "They steal it, take it to Crimea and that's it."
Last week the mayor of Melitopol posted a video exhibiting a convoy of trucks leaving Melitopol allegedly loaded with grain.
"We have now clear evidence that they unloaded grain from the Melitopol city elevator. They robbed the elevator along with non-public farms," the mayor informed CNN.