Ukraine asks Israel to seize vessel with stolen grain as diplomatic row escalates
on Google
Kyiv on April 29 confirmed it had formally requested Israel to seize the Panormitis vessel, which it says is carrying grain stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
The announcement came amid an escalating diplomatic spat, with Kyiv saying Israel has ignored appeals to prevent goods stolen by Russia from reaching Israeli ports.
Panama-flagged bulk carrier Panormitis, allegedly transporting over 6,200 tons of wheat and 19,000 tons of barley looted by Russia in Ukraine, arrived at the Haifa Bay earlier this week.
Ukraine has requested international assistance from Israel in order to seize Panormitis and cargo, conduct a search, and interrogate the crew, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said.
"A request for international legal assistance has already been sent to the competent authorities of the State of Israel," Kravchenko said. "Today, our documents are already there."
Kyiv says the vessel was partially loaded with grain from occupied territories via ship-to-ship transfers, and has previously entered occupied Ukrainian ports, thus violating international maritime law.
This is not the first such case: another vessel, the Russian bulk carrier Abinsk, allegedly carrying stolen Ukrainian wheat, unloaded its cargo in Haifa earlier in April.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that at least four shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain arrived at Israeli ports only this year.
The shipments are fueling a diplomatic row, with Israeli and Ukrainian officials trading barbs on social media.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it had been informing Israel about Abinsk since March, and later requested legal assistance to seize the vessel. Israel refused to intervene, citing a lack of evidence, and the vessel was allowed to unload its cargo and depart, Kyiv says.
Ukraine publicly reached out to Israel again this week as the Panormitis vessel neared Haifa.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on April 27 claimed the Israeli side has not received sufficient evidence and accused his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, of conducting diplomacy "on Twitter or in the media."
"Ukraine has officially addressed Israel through diplomatic and legal channels, requesting action on the 'PANORMITIS' vessel," Sybiha said on April 29.
"We expect the Israeli side to take it seriously rather than responding with emotional statements."
Sa'ar subsequently confirmed that the "request is now being examined by the relevant authorities."
According to Kyiv, Russia has been systematically seizing grain from territories under its occupation and arranging its export through networks tied to the occupying administration.
These operations, Ukraine maintains, violate not only international norms but also the domestic laws of countries that receive such cargo.
Ukrainian officials stress that Israel, like any state with functioning port controls, is fully capable of identifying both the vessels docking at its harbors and the nature of their shipments.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on April 28 that other countries, including Turkey, Egypt, and Algeria, have accepted similar deliveries.
read also
Lucy Pakhnyuk
The Kyiv Independent news desk
