The businessman confirmed that after a trip of more than 700 miles to Chechnya, the thieves were unable to use any of the mechanisms, because they were disabled remotely.
Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous reports of Russian forces stealing agricultural machinery, grain and even construction materials.
The US network reported that the theft of valuable agricultural equipment from the “John Deere” agency in Melitopol was increasingly organized, and military transport was used.
According to the American network, the Russian forces stole 27 agricultural machines from the “Agrotek” agency in Melitopol, which had been occupied by Russian forces since early March, with about $5 million. The harvesters alone are worth $300,000.
Photos and videos revealed the process of transporting this agricultural equipment on military flatbed trucks with the letter “Z”, the emblem of the Russian forces in the war.
GPS also revealed inside the equipment and its presence inside the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.
“When the invaders drove the stolen equipment into Chechnya, they realized that they couldn’t even operate it, because the combines were remotely locked,” said the Ukrainian businessman.
He confirmed that the equipment was scattered on a farm near Grozny, noting that the thieves had hired technicians from Russia to try to operate it. “Even if they sold the combines as spare parts, they would still make some money,” he said.
Other sources in the Melitopol region say that Russian military forces also stole grain kept in silos. “The occupiers are forcing local farmers to pay 50 percent of their profits,” he added.
She noted that they steal grain and transport it to the Crimea.