[ad_1]
A Turkish official and the port’s operating company confirmed on July 4 that authorities have detained a Russian cargo ship and are investigating Ukrainian claims that it was carrying stolen grain.
“According to the request, the ship named Zhibek Zholy was stopped in Karasu,” a senior official told Reuters.
“The allegations are being thoroughly investigated. It is not written who the wheat belongs to”.
On July 3, Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey, said that Zhibek Zholy was detained by Turkish customs authorities.
Ukraine had asked Ankara to stop it, accusing Moscow of stealing grain from territories Russian forces have seized since their invasion began on February 24. Kiev said the ship departed from Berdyansk, a Ukrainian port occupied by Russian forces.
The Kremlin has denied that Russia has stolen Ukrainian grain.
On June 30, Evgeny Balitsky, the head of the Moscow-appointed administration in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya region, said on Telegram that the ship had left Berdyansk port and was headed for “friendly countries.”
He said the ship was loaded with 7,000 tons of wheat, but he did not specify which countries were considered “friendly” or provide any details on the origin of the wheat.
Bodnar said investigators would meet in Turkey on July 4 to determine the fate of the ship and that Ukraine was demanding the return of the grain.
Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing its grain during the invasion and blocking its ports to prevent grain from leaving the country, which has contributed to a global food shortage.
Moscow has denied receiving Ukrainian wheat, but satellite images and GPS data have been used to support claims that Russia has shipped wheat from Ukraine through the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.
Cereals are one of the main industries of Ukraine. Exports reached $12.2 billion last year and accounted for nearly a fifth of the country’s exports. Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, including Berdyansk, handled about 6 million tons of grain and other crops every month before the war/REL
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
