In four months, Russians illegally exported grain from Ukraine almost 50 times

From January to April, 25 vessels of the Russian shadow grain fleet illegally sailed from ports in the occupied territories of Ukraine to other countries almost 50 times.

This was reported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha.

Most of the flights are related to the illegal export of grain — the Russians exported over 850 000 tons of the product. Over 50% of the grain was exported from Sevastopol, another 13% from Mariupol and Berdyansk.

“We know about the vessels, companies, owners and other details. [...] That is why Ukraine will step up efforts to counter the Russian shadow grain fleet by initiating new sanctions in the EU, G7 and other jurisdictions against all those involved in this theft and illegal trade. We will work with partners to update the relevant lists and ensure targeted and strict restrictions,” Sybiha wrote.

What preceded

On April 26, the Israeli media outlet Haaretz reported that the “Panormitis” vessel, carrying grain allegedly stolen from the occupied territories of Ukraine, had arrived in the bay of the Israeli city of Haifa and was awaiting permission to enter the port. In total, according to Haaretz, four vessels have unloaded stolen Ukrainian grain in Haifa since the beginning of 2026.

Because of this, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha also stressed that the Foreign Ministry had already appealed to Israel on April 15 regarding a similar ship that had delivered grain to Haifa, but there was no sufficient response to the incident. At that time, Israel informed Ukraine that it was too late to detain the Russian ship, as it had already left the port of Haifa.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded to Sybihaʼs post in X, saying that "diplomatic relations are not conducted on Twitter". He also claimed that Sybiha "did not file a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social media".

On April 28, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky and handed him a note of protest over the continued arrival of grain to Israel, which Russia exports from the occupied territories of Ukraine. Already on April 29, Ukraine sent the Israeli side a package of documents for the arrest of the vessel.

In this regard, the EU is considering the option of imposing sanctions against Israel for purchasing grain, and Ukraine is ready to adopt similar decisions.

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