JOHN Deere's smart technology inbuilt in its new machinery has foiled attempts by Russian looters to utilise farm equipment stolen in the conflict in Ukraine.
CNN has reported that Russian troops in Melitopol, in south-eastern Ukraine, an area currently experiencing heavy fighting, stole the farm machinery from a John Deere dealership and shipped it back to Russia for use on farms there.
However, after freighting the equipment back over 1000 kilometres in the Chechnya region of Russia the thieves got a nasty surprise when they found the equipment had been remotely disabled and was unable to be used.
John Deere's new machinery features remote access which can be not only used for diagnostics and repairs but also in the case of theft.
The dealership theft is one of a growing number of reports of machinery theft in Ukraine.
Russia has a similar grains industry to Ukraine and much of the machinery is suited for use over the border, and it is believed there is an increasingly coordinated push to take the valuable equipment.
However, it is not just machinery being stolen, CNN also reports that along with general household looting, grain and even building materials have been taken.
Start the day with all the big news in agriculture! Sign up below to receive our daily Farmonline newsletter.