A Turkish firm named Erisler, which supplies products to the United Nations World Food Programme, has received grain sourced from the occupied city of Mariupol, supplied by the Russian company Nika. This revelation comes from an investigation by Slidstvo.Info.
According to the report, Nika, owned by the Guriev family, exported over 54,000 tons of wheat from Mariupol to Turkey during 2023 and 2024. The total value of wheat exports to Turkey and Egypt reached $3.7 million in 2023, with projections for 2024 indicating a significant increase to approximately $12.9 million.
The Guriev family also operates Roboavia, a company that manufactures reconnaissance and combat drones used by Russia in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The U.S. and Ukrainian governments imposed sanctions on Roboavia in 2024. Valentina Samar, head of the Center for Investigative Journalism, suggested that the Gurievs may be nominal owners of Roboavia.
“We consider them nominal owners because the Gurievs have never had any systematic business related to drone production before,” she stated.
In April 2024, the vessel Alfa M, under Ukrainian sanctions, transported over 7,800 tons of wheat from Mariupol to the Russian port of Temryuk. The grain was subsequently sent to Turkey, with Erisler listed as the final recipient and Global Commodities and Logistics Limited as the intermediary. Notably, the cargo declaration referred to Mariupol as a Russian city.
“The wheat shipment from the occupied Mariupol effectively has the status of smuggled goods,” remarked journalist Kateryna Yaresko from the SeaKrime project at the Peacekeeper Center.
Yaresko explained that after loading in Mariupol, the vessel docks at the Russian port of Temryuk, where documents are processed to obscure the true origin of the grain.
An anonymous source from the Ukrainian branch of the international company Cotecna informed reporters that a quality check for this particular batch of grain took place in Odesa. The sample arrived from Turkey marked as originating from Russia, matching the manifest data precisely.
All compliance declarations for Nika’s wheat from July 2022 to early 2026 specify that production facilities are located in occupied Mariupol.
Journalists reached out to Nika, Erisler, Global Commodities, and Cotecna for comments. Nika and Erisler did not respond, while Global Commodities denied purchasing grain from Mariupol, asserting compliance with international trade standards. Cotecna also denied involvement with products from occupied territories but noted that it relies on the documentation provided by its partners, which did not mention Mariupol.
An investigation reveals that the Turkish company Erisler has received grain from the occupied city of Mariupol, supplied by the Russian firm Nika, which is linked to drone manufacturing. The findings highlight the complexities of grain trade amid ongoing sanctions and conflict.