Sweden to hand Russian 'shadow fleet' ship to Ukraine

Sweden will hand over to Ukraine a seized Russian “shadow fleet” cargo ship after the country's Supreme Court rejected an attempt to block the transfer, court documents show.

The Supreme Court on August 4 dismissed an appeal by Caffa Shipping Ltd, the owner of the 96-metre Caffa. Ukraine had requested the transfer, and two lower Swedish courts had approved it.

Ukraine suspects the ship was used to transport grain stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga thanked Sweden on Thursday and called the decision an important precedent for accountability.

The Caffa was headed for Saint Petersburg when armed Swedish police boarded it on March 6 off Trelleborg on Sweden's southern coast. Swedish authorities acted on a Ukrainian request for legal assistance, according to the Ystad district court.

The ship was sailing under a false Guinean flag. Ten of the 11 crew members on board were Russian nationals.

Ukrainian sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk said the vessel was carrying grain and had previously been involved in stealing grain from occupied Ukrainian territory. He said it transported a shipment from the port of Sevastopol in Crimea in July 2025 and unloaded it in Tartus, Syria.

Sweden's TV4 news channel reported that it was the first time a court had ordered a Russian ship suspected of transporting stolen Ukrainian grain to be transferred to Kyiv.

Moscow's “shadow fleet” refers to vessels used to skirt Western sanctions. They are often ageing ships in poor condition, without proper insurance and with opaque ownership.