Russian troops in Melitopol plunder $5M farm vehicles from Ukraine — to find 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 gear -- as a result of it had been locked remotely.
Over the past few weeks there's been a rising number of reports of Russian troops stealing farm gear, grain and even building materials - beyond widespread looting of residences. But the removal of beneficial agricultural tools from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, one that even makes use of Russian military transport as part of the heist.CNN has realized that the gear was removed 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 combine harvesters alone are price $300,000 each.
CNN will not be naming a contact in Melitopol familiar with the main points of the case for their very own security.
The contact said the process started with the seizure of two mix harvesters, a tractor and a seeder. Over the following few weeks, the whole lot else was removed: in all 27 items of farm equipment. One of the flat-bed vehicles used, and caught on camera, had a white "Z" painted on it and gave the impression to be a navy truck.
The contact said there were rival teams of Russian troops: some would come in the morning and a few in the evening.
Some of the equipment was taken to a close-by village, but some of it embarked on an extended overland journey to Chechnya greater than 700 miles away. The sophistication of the machinery, which are geared up with GPS, meant that its travel could be tracked. It was final tracked to the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.
The tools ferried to Chechnya, which included combine harvesters -- may also be controlled 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 stated.
The equipment now seems to be languishing at a farm close to Grozny. But the contact said that "it seems that the hijackers have found consultants in Russia who're attempting to bypass the safety."
"Even if they promote harvesters for spare components, they'll earn some cash," the contact stated.
Other sources in the Melitopol region say theft by Russian navy units has prolonged to grain held in silos, in a area that produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of crops a yr.
One supply advised CNN that "the occupiers are providing native farmers to share their profits 50% to 50%." But the farmers attempting 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'll not take this grain from the occupied territory anywhere. "
So Russian forces are merely taking the grain, the source said. "They steal it, take it to Crimea and that is it."
Final week the mayor of Melitopol posted a video showing a convoy of vans leaving Melitopol allegedly loaded with grain.
"We've got clear proof that they unloaded grain from the Melitopol metropolis elevator. They robbed the elevator along with personal farms," the mayor informed CNN.