Russian-Shipped Wheat Sparks Tensions Between Ukraine and Israel
The Seakrime project operates under the Myrotvorets Center, an independent organisation investigating crimes against Ukraine’s national security. On 12 April, Yaresko reported that the Russian cargo ship Abinsk had arrived at an Israeli port carrying stolen Ukrainian wheat. He stated that the vessel had docked in Haifa, Israel, with a cargo of 43,765.18 tonnes of wheat from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. At the time of publication, there was no official confirmation of this information.
The two foreign ministers clash
Two weeks later, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that another ship carrying stolen wheat from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories had docked in Israel. As a result, the Israeli ambassador to Kyiv was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. “It is difficult to understand why Israel has not provided an appropriate response to Ukraine’s official requests regarding the previous ship that delivered stolen goods to Haifa,” Sybiha said on the social media platform X. “Now, after another ship with similar cargo has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel not to accept the stolen wheat and not to damage relations between the two countries.”
On the same day, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded to Kyiv’s anger. “Evidence supporting these accusations has not been provided,” he wrote on X, adding that the matter would be investigated and that Israeli authorities would act in accordance with the law. “You did not even submit a request for legal assistance before using media and social network channels,” he said. “Diplomatic relations, especially between friendly countries, are not conducted via Twitter or the media.”
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry then released a chronology of the wheat dispute. The statement noted that the issue had been discussed by diplomats from both countries at the end of March and on 15 April. Ukraine had requested international legal assistance from Israel regarding the Abinsk ship. “The Israeli side prematurely completed the unloading process of the ship’s cargo and allowed it to depart, despite Ukraine’s requests not to do so,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Ukraine prepares sanctions package
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also commented on the dispute. “In any normal country, buying stolen goods is a criminal offence with legal consequences. This applies particularly to wheat stolen by Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on 30 April. He said that Russia was systematically transporting wheat from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and then exporting it. “Such trade violates Israeli law. Ukraine has taken all necessary diplomatic steps to prevent such incidents,” Zelenskyy stated.
He emphasised that Ukraine was preparing a sanctions package based on intelligence information. The package would target all parties involved in transporting this wheat, as well as individuals “seeking to profit from these criminal activities.” According to Zelenskyy, Kyiv was coordinating with European partners to ensure that the individuals in question were also added to the European sanctions list.
Demanding evidence
Israeli military expert David Sharp suspects that Israel would not worsen the situation if it had received comprehensive evidence from Kyiv regarding the origin of the wheat from occupied territories. “No one wants this issue to escalate from strained relations with Ukraine to sanctions,” Sharp told DW. The question is what evidence Ukraine has actually presented and what Israel has actually received.
Sharp emphasised that Israel is a country with an independent judicial system, where private business relations are protected by law. The Foreign Ministry cannot order a businessman to cancel a wheat purchase contract. Doing so would result in government officials being sued in court. “Terminating a contract requires strong legal evidence, including intelligence evidence,” Sharp explained. “If Ukraine wants Israel to block the deal, mere suspicions or social media posts are not enough. Ukraine must provide evidence that the Israeli government can use in court or submit to the prosecutor’s office.”
Challenges in evidence collection
Ivan Us, a senior consultant at the National Institute for Strategic Studies in Kyiv, explained that this is not the first time Russia has attempted to legalise stolen wheat from Ukrainian territories. The wheat is transported from occupied areas, mixed with Russian wheat in transshipment depots, reported as Russian wheat, and then resold. “From our perspective, this is stolen wheat, but to the buyer, it may appear as a legal product,” said the foreign policy expert. This complicates evidence collection and legal prosecution.
According to Serhiy Danylov from the Ukrainian Association for Middle East Studies, the Ukrainian embassy has provided intelligence information to Israel regarding the routes, sea shipments of wheat, as well as the owners and logistics behind the shipments. Danylov criticised Israel for ignoring all warnings given by Ukraine. “Although the first ship did not provoke such a strong reaction, we now see a new dimension in Ukraine’s response,” Danylov told DW. “In his statement, Zelenskyy for the first time mentioned sanctions, including those coordinated with the European Union. This is no longer just diplomatic protest, but a signal that concrete steps will be taken. The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s response, frankly, is unsatisfactory. They effectively deny that there is sufficient evidence.”