Russian troops in Melitopol plunder $5M farm autos from Ukraine — to search out they have been remotely disabled
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But after a journey of greater than 700 miles, the thieves have been unable to use any of the equipment -- because it had been locked remotely.
Over the previous few weeks there's been a rising variety of reports of Russian troops stealing farm gear, grain and even building supplies - beyond widespread looting of residences. However the removal of helpful agricultural equipment from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an more and more organized operation, one which even makes use of Russian army transport as a part of the heist.CNN has discovered that the gear was removed from an Agrotek dealership in Melitopol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March. Altogether it's valued at nearly $5 million. The combine harvesters alone are worth $300,000 every.
CNN is just not naming a contact in Melitopol aware of the details of the case for their very own safety.
The contact stated the process began with the seizure of two mix harvesters, a tractor and a seeder. Over the following few weeks, all the pieces else was eliminated: in all 27 pieces of farm equipment. One of many flat-bed vehicles used, and caught on digicam, had a white "Z" painted on it and appeared to be a army truck.
The contact mentioned there have been rival groups of Russian troops: some would come in the morning and some within the night.
A few of the machinery was taken to a close-by village, however a few of it embarked on a long overland journey to Chechnya more than 700 miles away. The sophistication of the machinery, that are outfitted with GPS, meant that its travel could possibly be tracked. It was final tracked to the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.
The equipment ferried to Chechnya, which included mix harvesters -- can be managed remotely. "When the invaders drove the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized that they might not even turn them on, as a result of the harvesters were locked remotely," the contact said.
The gear now appears to be languishing at a farm near Grozny. However the contact said that "it seems that the hijackers have found consultants in Russia who're trying to bypass the protection."
"Even if they sell harvesters for spare elements, they are going to earn some cash," the contact said.
Different sources in the Melitopol region say theft by Russian military items has extended to grain held in silos, in a area that produces a whole lot of thousands of tonnes of crops a yr.
One supply advised CNN that "the occupiers are offering local farmers to share their income 50% to 50%." But the farmers attempting to work in areas occupied by Russian troops are unable to maneuver their produce.
"Not a single elevator works. Not one of the ports are working. You'll not take this grain from the occupied territory wherever. "
So 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 displaying a convoy of vehicles leaving Melitopol allegedly loaded with grain.
"We've got clear proof that they unloaded grain from the Melitopol metropolis elevator. They robbed the elevator together with personal farms," the mayor informed CNN.