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Ukraine has warned Israel against accepting another vessel carrying what Kyiv says is grain stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, escalating a diplomatic dispute after a previous ship was allowed to unload in Haifa.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a vessel carrying such grain had arrived at an Israeli port and was preparing to unload, calling the shipment illegitimate.
“This is not—and cannot be—legitimate business,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv summoned Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky to present a protest note and request action.
“Friendly Ukrainian-Israeli relations have the potential to benefit both countries, and Russia’s illegal trade with stolen Ukrainian grain should not undermine them,” Sybiha said.
He said it was difficult to understand what he called Israel’s lack of response to Ukraine’s previous request over another vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa.
“Now that another such vessel has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations,” Sybiha said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded by saying diplomatic relations between friendly countries should not be conducted on social media or in the press.
“Allegations are not evidence,” Sa’ar said, adding that evidence supporting Ukraine’s claims had not yet been provided.
He said Ukraine had not submitted a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks.
“The matter will be examined,” Sa’ar said. “Israel is a state that abides by the rule of law with independent law enforcement authorities. All Israeli authorities will act in accordance with the law.”
The vessel at the center of the latest dispute is the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Panormitis, which has reached waters near Haifa, according to marine traffic monitoring services cited in the reports.
It is allegedly carrying more than 6,200 tons of wheat and 19,000 tons of barley.
Ukrainian investigative journalist Kateryna Yaresko from the SeaKrime project reported that Panormitis departed from the Port of Kavkaz in Russia’s Krasnodar region after being loaded with grain from occupied Ukrainian territories through transfers from other ships.
A large part of the cargo was transferred from the occupied Ukrainian city of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov, according to the report.
The latest case follows the arrival of the Russian bulk carrier Abinsk in Haifa earlier in April with nearly 44,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat that Kyiv says was stolen.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said it informed Israel on March 23 about the Abinsk, the possible origin of its cargo and the inadmissibility of importing such products.
Kyiv said it received assurances of an appropriate response, but the vessel was allowed to unload at Haifa on April 12-14.
Ukraine said it considers Abinsk potentially involved in Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which it says is used to illegally export, transport and sell grain from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories and finance the war against Ukraine.
An investigation by Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that at least four shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain have already been unloaded in Israel this year.
Haaretz also reported that by 2023, at least two ships carrying stolen grain had arrived in Israel, and at least one unloaded there, based on documents, ship-tracking data and satellite images.
The report said the behavior of seven additional ships that unloaded in Israel that year raised suspicion that they concealed the source of their grain.
Haaretz said internal logs kept by Russian authorities in occupied Ukrainian ports listed more than 30 shipments of stolen goods with Israel as their destination.
Zelenskyy said Russia is systematically seizing grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and organizing its export through people linked to the occupation authorities.
He said Ukraine had taken diplomatic steps to prevent such incidents, but that another vessel had not been stopped.
Zelenskyy said he instructed Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to inform partners about the situation.
He said Ukraine is preparing a sanctions package based on intelligence information, targeting those directly transporting the grain and individuals and legal entities seeking to profit from the scheme.
Ukraine will also coordinate with European partners to include relevant individuals in European sanctions regimes, Zelenskyy said.
Sources cited by Euronews and the Kyiv Independent said Ukrainian officials warned that allowing Panormitis to dock and unload could trigger significant diplomatic consequences.
A Ukrainian diplomatic source cited by Axios said Israel had “essentially shrugged off” Kyiv’s demands over the previous vessel.
“Frankly, this feels like a slap in the face given the strategic goodwill Ukraine has extended,” the source said, citing Kyiv’s designation of the IRGC as terrorists and criminalization of antisemitism.
Haaretz reported that suspected vessels did not load grain in Russian ports, but through ship-to-ship transfers south of the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea.
The report said some bulk carriers received grain from larger cargo ships used by Russia as floating granaries, while others received cargo from smaller feeder ships that brought grain from occupied territories.
According to Haaretz, some ships turned off their automatic identification system, or AIS, during transfers and later reappeared loaded with cargo and bound for Israel.
Shipping analyst Yoruk Isik, who runs the Istanbul-based Bosphorus Observer consultancy, told Haaretz that such moves are typical of vessels attempting to hide the origin of goods.
Haaretz identified the St. Olga as one ship involved in the network, saying it unloaded 27,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat worth about $9 million at Ashdod in July 2023.
The report said Ukraine later sanctioned the St. Olga for involvement in what Kyiv describes as Putin’s smuggling network.
Haaretz also reported on the Sword Lion, saying it loaded grain near the Kerch Strait and later headed toward Haifa. After a Ukrainian investigative report was published, the ship sailed to Türkiye, where it unloaded the goods, according to Haaretz.
Kyiv estimates that at least 15 million tons of Ukrainian grain have been stolen by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine, often called Europe’s breadbasket, is one of the largest exporters of corn, wheat and oats to the European Union.
Before the war, Ukraine generally exported 5 million to 7 million tons of grain each year. The country relies on agriculture as a key source of revenue, which the U.N. estimates accounts for 20% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Relations between Ukraine and Israel have remained cautious since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with Israel refraining from direct military aid to Kyiv while trying to preserve a balance in its relations with Russia.
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