Russians Steal $5M Ukraine Farm Vehicles Only To Find Them Disabled

Russian troops in the occupied city of Melitopol have stolen all the equipment from a farm dealership and shipped them all to Chechnya, according to a Ukrainian businessman in the area.

Photo Insert: "When the invaders drove the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized that they could not even turn them on, because the harvesters were locked remotely."

But after a journey of more than 700 miles, the thieves were unable to use any of the tractors and combine harvesters since all of them had been locked remotely.

Reporting for CNN, Olexsandr Fylypov and Tim Lister wrote on May 2, 2022, that there have been a growing number of reports of Russian troops stealing farm equipment, grain, and even building materials - beyond widespread looting of residences.

But the removal of valuable agricultural equipment from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, one that even uses Russian military transport as part of the heist.

CNN has learned that the equipment was removed from an Agrotek dealership in Melitopol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March. Altogether it's valued at nearly $5 million.

The combined harvesters alone are worth $300,000 each. CNN is not naming a contact in Melitopol familiar with the details of the case for their own safety. The contact said the process began with the seizure of two combine harvesters, a tractor and a seeder.

Over the next few weeks, everything else was removed: In all 27 pieces of farm machinery. One of the flat-bed trucks used, and caught on camera, had a white "Z" painted on it and appeared to be a military truck.

The contact said there were rival groups of Russian troops: some would come in the morning and some in the evening.

Some of the machinery was taken to a nearby village, but some of it embarked on a long overland journey to Chechnya more than 700 miles away. The sophistication of the machinery, which are equipped with GPS, meant that its travel could be tracked. It was last tracked to the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.

The equipment ferried to Chechnya, which included combine harvesters -- can also be controlled remotely.

"When the invaders drove the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized that they could not even turn them on, because the harvesters were locked remotely," the contact said. The equipment now appears to be languishing at a farm near Grozny. But the contact said that "it seems that the hijackers have found consultants in Russia who are trying to bypass the protection."

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