Another Russian attempt to legalize illegally exported grain foiled - Prosecutor General on PANORMITIS vessel

After Ukraine took a set of procedural measures, the vessel PANORMITIS left the territorial waters of the State of Israel and moved into neutral waters, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said.

"Another attempt by the Russian side to legalize grain illegally exported from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories has been foiled," the prosecutor general said on Telegram Thursday.

According to him, the vessel’s departure from Israeli territorial waters "may indicate awareness of the risk of criminal proceedings security measures being applied to the vessel and cargo, including seizure."

Kravchenko said that on the basis of materials provided by the Ukrainian side within the framework of international legal cooperation, Israel’s competent authorities have begun executing the request.

"The fact of the violation has been recorded at the international level. Therefore, further movement of the vessel, cargo and actions of persons involved in this scheme will remain subject to legal response in any jurisdiction that recognizes the rule of law and respects Ukraine’s sovereignty," he stressed.

The prosecutor general explained that the vessel’s departure into neutral waters does not terminate the criminal proceedings and does not release those involved from liability.

"Ukraine continues its procedural work, tracks the movement of all Russian vessels and will apply all available mechanisms of international legal cooperation to seize assets, identify all participants in the scheme and bring them to justice," the prosecutor general said.

The previous day, the prosecutor general reported that Ukraine had sent Israeli authorities a package of documents for the arrest of the Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain.

"The Office of the Prosecutor General initiated the arrest of the sea vessel PANORMITIS and the cargo which, according to the investigation, may be part of a scheme to legalize illegally exported Ukrainian grain," Kravchenko said.