The release of a Russian ship allegedly carrying stolen Ukrainian grain from Turkish waters is “unacceptable,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said. Turkey ignored a request to seize the ship and its cargo and the ship was released on July 6, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
He expressed “deep disappointment and appeals to the Turkish side with an urgent request to conduct an investigation … and give a full answer to the requests of the competent authorities of Ukraine.” The Russian merchant ship, Zhibek Zholy, had transported the grain from the occupied port of Berdyansk to the Turkish port of Karasu. “In connection with the unacceptable situation, the ambassador of Turkey in Kyiv was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the ministry added. CNN has reached out to the Turkish government for comment. Russia’s TASS news agency reported Thursday that the Zhibek Zholy, “which is anchored in Turkey, plans to leave due to idleness and send grain to a storage vessel.” “It is planned to go to the accumulation (storage) vessel and be transshipped,” TASS quoted one of the ship’s crew members as saying. “Then, when the big ship is loaded, (it) goes to the ports and unloads.” Shipping tracking data on Thursday shows the Zhibek Zholy transponder is no longer active at its recent mooring off Karasu.
Satellite images show that Russian ships often offload their cargoes to other ships in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, previously told CNN that Zybek Zoly was docked near Karasu as “he was actually detained by Turkish customs authorities and is not allowed to enter the port.” “We are now waiting for the decision of the competent authorities of Turkey regarding the actions that the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine insist on,” he added. Some background: For months, Ukraine and allied countries have been trying to ease a growing food crisis caused by Russia’s months-long blockade of Ukrainian ports, with Moscow accused of using food as a weapon of war. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said up to 60 million tonnes of grain could be stuck in the country by autumn if it continues to face blocked exports. The UN said Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports has already pushed up global food prices and threatens to cause catastrophic food shortages in some parts of the world. Russia has repeatedly denied blocking ports or stealing grain.