Russian troops in Melitopol plunder $5M farm autos from Ukraine — to seek out they have been remotely disabled
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However after a journey of greater than 700 miles, the thieves were unable to make use of any of the tools -- because it had been locked remotely.
Over the past few weeks there's been a rising variety of stories of Russian troops stealing farm gear, grain and even building supplies - past widespread looting of residences. However the removing of beneficial agricultural tools from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, one that even makes use of Russian navy transport as a part of the heist.CNN has discovered that the equipment was faraway from an Agrotek dealership in Melitopol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March. Altogether it's valued at almost $5 million. The combine harvesters alone are value $300,000 every.
CNN shouldn't be naming a contact in Melitopol aware of the details of the case for their own safety.
The contact stated the method 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 machinery. One of the flat-bed vehicles used, and caught on digital camera, had a white "Z" painted on it and appeared to be a military truck.
The contact said there have been rival teams of Russian troops: some would come in the morning and a few in the night.
A number of the equipment was taken to a close-by village, however some of it launched into a long overland journey to Chechnya greater than 700 miles away. The sophistication of the machinery, which are geared up with GPS, meant that its journey could be tracked. It was last tracked to the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.
The gear ferried to Chechnya, which included combine harvesters -- will also 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 had been locked remotely," the contact mentioned.
The equipment now seems to be languishing at a farm close to Grozny. However the contact said that "it seems that the hijackers have found consultants in Russia who're making an attempt to bypass the protection."
"Even when they promote harvesters for spare elements, they'll earn some money," the contact said.
Different sources in the Melitopol area say theft by Russian military units has prolonged to grain held in silos, in a region that produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of crops a yr.
One source informed CNN that "the occupiers are providing native farmers to share their income 50% to 50%." However the farmers trying to work in areas occupied by Russian troops are unable to move their produce.
"Not a single elevator works. Not one of the ports are working. You will not take this grain from the occupied territory anyplace. "
So Russian forces are merely taking the grain, the source stated. "They steal it, take it to Crimea and that is it."
Last week the mayor of Melitopol posted a video showing a convoy of trucks leaving Melitopol allegedly loaded with grain.
"We have now clear proof that they unloaded grain from the Melitopol city elevator. They robbed the elevator together with non-public farms," the mayor advised CNN.