US EditionUkraine asks Israel to seize vessel it says is carrying grain stolen by Russia
Ukraine says the vessel carries more than 25,000 tonnes of grain taken from occupied territory and asks Israel to arrest it and inspect the cargo.
- On Wednesday, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko formally requested that Israel seize the cargo ship Panormitis at Haifa Port, alleging it carries grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories.
- This escalation follows the April 12 arrival of the Abinsk, which offloaded nearly 44,000 tonnes of wheat at Haifa Port despite prior Ukrainian warnings that the cargo was stolen by Russia.
- Kyiv estimates Russia has stolen at least 15 million tonnes of grain since the 2022 invasion, with 2025 exports from occupied territories generating about $400 million in sales.
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar criticized Kyiv for what he described as "Twitter diplomacy," insisting the formal arrest request arrived late Tuesday night before the public announcement.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy threatened sanctions against those profiting from the shipments, while Sa'ar maintained that diplomatic relations "are not conducted on Twitter" and that claims require evidence.
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62 Articles
Ship Carrying ‘Stolen’ Ukrainian Grain Will Not Unload in Israel, Kyiv Says
A ship carrying grain that Ukraine says was stolen from Russian-occupied areas of the country will not unload in Israel, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, said in an April 30 post on Telegram that the Panama-flagged Panormitis had “left the territorial waters of the State of Israel and departed for neutral waters. ” “Such behavior may indicate awareness of the risk of applying criminal proceedings…
Following the Kyiv protest, Israel refused to unload the PANORMITIS ship with cereals illegally removed from Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine. Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrei Sibiga, described this as a "positive step", demonstrating the effectiveness of legal and diplomatic measures.
The "Panormitis" from Russia was not allowed to unload in Haifa. However, the ship is only the latest case in a long series: since 2022 more than 30 of these problematic grain carriers have been laid out in Israeli ports.
A diplomatic conflict arose from Ukraine's accusation that Israel was buying grain from annexed territories from the Russians. Kiev's action eventually had an effect, as did the imposition of EU sanctions: the cargo ship left Israel's shores after a few days without unloading.
Ukraine asks Israel to seize ship carrying grain 'stolen' by Russia
Ukraine has formally asked Israel to seize a cargo ship carrying what it says is stolen Ukrainian grain, escalating a diplomatic tussle between the two countries after Israeli authorities allowed a previous vessel with similar cargo to unload unchallenged at the port of Haifa.
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