The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) jointly with the Spanish law enforcement agencies prevented Russia's attempts to seize the property of a Ukrainian water transport enterprise, the SBU has said.

"The management of a sanctioned Russian company tried to seize two Ukrainian industrial vessels on the territory of a Spanish port. The total cost of the ships is more than $10 million," it said on the Telegram channel on Wednesday.

According to the SBU, representatives of the aggressor country "agreed" with the officials of a Ukrainian state company on the leasing of the vessel by an affiliated business structure controlled by Russia.

Later, the participants of the scheme created artificial conditions for the transfer of the vessel to the Russian company allegedly to repay a debt at the expense of assets seized in Ukraine.

The SBU jointly with its western partners timely exposed the criminal scheme, identified the persons involved in it, and blocked the illegal transfer of the Ukrainian property.

A court ruled to seize the vessels, according to the SBU materials.

The vessels will be returned to Ukraine's ownership as soon as urgent investigative and operative actions are carried out, the SBU said.

A criminal case was launched under Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (assistance to the aggressor state).