2023-07-05

KYIV - Ukraine is investigating hundreds of firms, many created since Russia’s full-scale invasion scrambled the grain market, for allegedly failing to properly document their trading in Ukrainian grain or to pay taxes on it.

Reporters looked into who bought hundreds of thousands of euros of “black grain” in the European Union. They found liquidated companies, proxies — and multinational agribusiness giants.

Some of the EU companies that bought this grain from Ukraine raise serious questions themselves.

Several had been ordered shut down by Hungarian authorities but continued trading. Some of the men listed as their owners and directors were patients in psychiatric hospitals; one is an aspiring Tik-Tok influencer.

The Romanian subsidiaries of major international agribusiness traders — COFCO International, Bunge, Viterra, and Ameropa Holding — imported grain through Ukrainian companies under investigation.

Team members

Romana Puiulet

Romana Puiulet is a co-founder and board member of Romanian investigative centre, RISE Project.

Romana Puiulet

Elena Loginova

Elena Loginova  (Ukraine) has been a team member on the Paradise Papers, FinCEN Files, and Pandora Papers projects.

Elena Loginova
Supported
€13,800 allocated on 26/08/2022
ID
CBL/2022/006
Grant

ONLINE

IMPACT

need resources for your own investigative story?

Journalismfund Europe's flexible grants programmes enable journalists to produce relevant public interest stories with a European mind-set from international, national, and regional perspectives.

Apply

support independent cross-border investigative journalism

We rely on your support to continue the work that we do. Make a gift of any amount today.

Donate