Ukraine sends legal assistance request to Israel over vessel carrying grain stolen by Russia – ambassador
Ukrainian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Israel Yevhen Korniichuk has reported sending a legal assistance request to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice regarding the situation with agricultural products illegally exported by the Russian Federation from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories arriving in the country.
"The legal assistance request was received overnight from the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, we are sending it with a note to the local foreign ministry and justice ministry. Our lawyers have already forwarded the request directly to the Israeli Prosecutor General’s Office," Korniichuk told Interfax-Ukraine Wednesday.
As reported, Israeli Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine Mikhael Brodsky was summoned to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, April 28, and handed a note of protest over the continued arrival in Israel of agricultural products illegally exported by Russia from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
"The Ukrainian side stressed that the origin of this grain has been reliably established, and the schemes used to conceal it, including ship-to-ship transfers in the Black Sea, are well known, including to Israeli competent authorities. Despite this, the relevant cargo continues to arrive at Israeli ports and enter commercial circulation," the statement said.
It was also noted that the current case involves the vessel ABINSK, but several vessels carrying agricultural products illegally exported by Russia from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories had previously arrived in Israel.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry separately stressed that Israel’s disregard of Ukraine’s official appeals and requests for international legal assistance, including requests to detain vessels and cargo, effectively creates conditions for the legalization of stolen Ukrainian grain. The ministry said it does not view these cases as isolated incidents but as a systemic practice bearing signs of deliberate facilitation of illegal economic activity related to the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territories, as well as sanctions evasion. Ukraine is therefore demanding that Israel immediately take measures to halt imports of stolen grain and prevent its unloading at Israeli ports, the ministry stressed.
The day before, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, responding to the summoning of the Israeli ambassador, said the allegations were not backed by evidence and that no legal assistance request had been submitted before the public statements were made, adding that the matter would be examined. "You did not even submit a legal assistance request before going to the media and social networks. This matter will be examined," he wrote on X.
As of April 27, the vessel ABINSK was anchored off Haifa awaiting unloading.
