Lithuania suspends transit of Belarusian rapeseed oil made from Ukrainian raw materials after investigation by journalists

Lithuanian railway company LTG Cargo has suspended the transportation of rapeseed oil from the Belarusian company Agroproduct after a journalistic investigation revealed that the raw materials for this product could have come from the occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular the Kherson region. The investigation was conducted by the 15min portal in cooperation with the Belarusian investigative center and the Ukrainian team of programmers KiBorg, writes LRT.

After the investigation began, LTG Cargo announced an internal check and suspended the transportation. Last week, eight wagons with rapeseed oil were detained at the Kiana station, which were heading to the port of Klaipeda.

According to investigators, Agroproduct has been receiving rapeseed from the occupied territories of Ukraine since 2023. Rapeseed oil was supplied in transit through Lithuania to Norway, Israel, China, the UAE and Vietnam.

Although Agroproduct is not included in international sanctions lists, Lithuanian authorities have previously ignored it. According to LTG Cargo, in 2024, almost 50 thousand tons of Agroproduct oil were transported in transit through Lithuania. However, according to leaked data from Belarusian Railways, this volume may be significantly higher.

Three companies were involved in the transportation of these cargoes in Lithuania: Gen Cargo, Baltijos Pervežimai and Baltic Cargo Agent. They stated that they were not aware of the origin of the raw materials from the occupied territories, and Agroproduct is not on the sanctions lists, so the cargoes underwent all necessary customs checks.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture explained that the EU did not ban the import of food products, and increased duties were not imposed on rapeseed oil. The only possible way to limit the import of Russian and Belarusian products is to create conditions under which they become uncompetitive, but such decisions should be made at the European Union level.

In June 2024, Lithuania introduced additional bans on the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus, including rapeseed oil. However, the ban did not apply to transit cargo.

Investigators found that Ukrainian grain from the occupied territories is being exported to Belarus, often under pressure from Ukrainian farmers. The owners of at least one farm were subjected to repression by the Russian occupation authorities. After their imprisonment, their farm was registered in the Russian register.

In addition, the Russian occupiers purchase rapeseed at a price at least 30% lower than the market price, which may also indicate pressure on Ukrainian farmers, the publication writes.

Tags: rapeseed oil, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus