Belarus sells rapeseed oil from Ukraine's occupied Kherson region to EU – investigation

This was revealed in an investigation by Schemes, conducted in collaboration with journalists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Belarus.

According to the report, one of the countries receiving this oil is Lithuania, despite a ban on Belarusian food imports — including rapeseed oil — enforced since mid-2024.

Data from the Russian state information system Zerno shows that in 2023, nearly 5,000 tons of rapeseed were exported to Belarus from occupied Kherson. Five companies received these shipments, including Agroproduct, one of Belarus’s largest rapeseed oil exporters to the EU.

Eurostat data indicates that in the first half of 2024, EU countries purchased over 90,000 tons of rapeseed oil from Belarus, valued at approximately €67 million. Alongside Lithuania, Latvia is also among the buyers.

The Belarusian opposition group "Community of Railwaymen of Belarus" claims that last year, these countries received around 50,000 tons of rapeseed oil exclusively from Agroproduct.

Logistics companies in Latvia and Lithuania confirmed their cooperation with Agroproduct in conversations with journalists. Investigators also found links between Agroproduct and Belarusian authorities. Its director, Oleg Teslyuk, openly boasted about his government connections in an interview but refused to answer questions about the origins of rapeseed from occupied Ukrainian territories.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could drag Belarus into war and provoke NATO.