STOCKHOLM: Sweden will hand over to Kyiv a seized Russian “shadow fleet” cargo ship which Ukraine suspects of transporting grain stolen from its occupied territory, Swedish court documents obtained by AFP on Thursday showed.
The Supreme Court on August 4 dismissed an appeal by Caffa Shipping Ltd, which owns the 96-meter (315-foot) Caffa, in a bid to block the transfer requested by Ukraine and approved by two lower courts in Sweden.
Moscow’s “shadow fleet” consists of vessels used to skirt Western sanctions. They are often aging ships in poor condition, without proper insurance and with opaque ownership.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on Thursday thanked Sweden.
“This landmark decision sets an important precedent, demonstrating that decisive action by law enforcement and prosecutors, combined with an independent and impartial judiciary, can translate the principle of accountability into tangible results,” he wrote in a post on X.
