Ukraine formally requests Israel to arrest Russian vessel carrying stolen grain
This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
According to him, the Office of the Prosecutor General has initiated the arrest of the vessel PANORMITIS and its cargo, which, according to investigators, may be part of a scheme to launder illegally exported Ukrainian grain.
“The relevant request for international legal assistance has already been sent to the competent authorities of the State of Israel. Our documents are now there. The Ukrainian side is asking our Israeli partners to seize the vessel and cargo, conduct a search, confiscate ship and cargo documentation, take grain samples, and interrogate the crew,” Kravchenko said.
According to investigators, PANORMITIS is transporting grain that was partially taken from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. The cargo was loaded after being transshipped from another vessel. The ship is currently heading to the port of Haifa.
Investigators have documented cases of the vessel illegally entering closed Ukrainian ports, which constitutes a serious violation of Ukrainian law and international maritime law.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine under the procedural supervision of prosecutors from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 1.7 million tons of agricultural products worth over UAH 20 billion have been illegally exported from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.
“The time of unpunished looting under foreign flags is over. We continue to systematically identify every violating vessel and work to bring to justice all those involved in war crimes against Ukraine,” Kravchenko emphasized.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that this is not “Twitter diplomacy,” but a concrete legal and diplomatic request for international legal assistance that requires a response.
“We expect the Israeli side to take it seriously rather than responding with emotional statements,” he said.
As previously reported, on April 15, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha drew the attention of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to a Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian agricultural products that had docked in an Israeli port.
Earlier, investigative journalist Kateryna Yaresko from the SeaKrime project of the Myrotvorets Center reported that on April 12 Israel allowed the Russian bulk carrier ABINSK to enter the port of Haifa, delivering 43,700 tons of wheat taken from occupied Ukrainian territories.
Israel later informed Ukraine that it was too late to detain the vessel as it had already left the port of Haifa.
On April 27, Sybiha said that Israel had received a second vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain and that Ukraine had summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Ministry.
On April 28, Ukraine handed a protest note to Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky over imports of grain allegedly stolen by Russia.
Photo: marinetraffic.com
