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(CNN) --
Russian troops in the occupied city of Melitopol stole all the equipment from a farm machinery dealer and shipped it to Chechnya, according to a Ukrainian businessman from the area.
But, after a journey of more than 1,100 kilometers, the thieves were unable to use any of the equipment because they had been remotely blocked.
In recent weeks there have been a growing number of reports of Russian troops stealing farm equipment, grain and even building materials, in addition to widespread looting of residences.
But the theft of valuable farm equipment from the John Deere dealer in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, even using Russian military transport as part of the heist.
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CNN has learned that the equipment was removed from an Agrotek dealership in Melitopol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March.
In total it is valued at almost US $ 5 million.
The combines alone are valued at $300,000 each.
CNN is not naming a contact in Melitopol familiar with the details of the case for his own safety.
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Ukrainian farmer Morda Vasyl enters the cab of a John Deere tractor.
The contact said the process began with the seizure of two combine harvesters, a tractor and a seeder.
In the weeks that followed, everything else was removed: a total of 27 pieces of farm machinery.
One of the flatbed trucks used, and caught on camera, had a white "Z" painted on it and appeared to be a military truck.
The contact said that there were rival groups of Russian troops: some came in the morning and others in the afternoon.
Some of the machinery was taken to a nearby town, but some made the long journey overland to Chechnya, more than 1,100 kilometers away.
The sophistication of the machinery, equipped with GPS, made it possible to follow their journey.
The last time it was traced was to the village of Zakhan Yurt, in Chechnya.
The equipment transported to Chechnya, which included combine harvesters, can also be remotely controlled.
"When the invaders brought the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized they couldn't even start them, because the harvesters were locked from a distance," the contact said.
The equipment now appears to be abandoned on a farm near Grozny.
But the contact said "it appears that the hijackers have found advisers in Russia who are trying to circumvent the protection."
"Even if they sell the combines for spare parts, they will make some money," the contact said.
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Other sources in the Melitopol region say thefts by Russian military units have extended to grain stored in silos, in a region that produces hundreds of thousands of tons of crops a year.
A source told CNN that "the squatters are offering local farmers a 50/50 share of their profits."
But farmers trying to work in areas occupied by Russian troops are unable to move their produce.
"Not a single elevator is working. None of the ports are working. They won't get the grain out of the occupied territories anywhere."
So the Russian forces are simply taking the grain, the source said.
"They steal it, they take it to Crimea and that's it."
Last week, the mayor of Melitopol posted a video showing a convoy of trucks leaving Melitopol allegedly loaded with grain.
"We have clear evidence that they unloaded grain from the Melitopol city elevator. They stole the elevator together with private farms," the mayor told CNN.
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