A Russian-flagged ship carrying thousands of tons of grain has been detained and investigated by Turkish authorities in the Black Sea port of Karasu over allegations that its cargo was stolen from Ukraine.
Turkish customs officials took action after Kyiv said the Žibek Joly was illegally transporting 7,000 tons of grain from Russian-occupied Berdyansk, a Ukrainian port in the country’s southeast.
Officials in Karasu said the vessel was waiting at the port while investigations were undertaken into the origin of the shipment.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed the ship was flying a Russian flag, but appeared to muddy the waters as he said the Kremlin was seeking clarity on Monday.
“The ship is indeed under the Russian flag, but I think it belongs to Kazakhstan and the cargo is carried under a contract between Estonia and Turkey,” Lavrov told reporters.
Kyiv has accused Russia of stealing grain from occupied Ukrainian territory to sell on international markets. The country’s grain exports are responsible for almost 15% of total world exports.
The case of Žibek Joly has brought allegations of theft into sharp focus and put the Turkish government in a sensitive position as it continues to seek a mediating role between Moscow and Kyiv on the issue of global food supplies.
Zhibek Joly’s voyage was proudly announced by the Moscow-appointed head of the occupied Zaporozhye region, home to the port of Berdyansk, as the “first merchant ship” to take supplies from Russian-controlled ports since the war began.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine subsequently wrote to the Turkish Ministry of Justice on June 30, alleging that Zhibek Zholy was involved in the “illegal export of Ukrainian grain” and that he had targeted Karasu.
Turkey was asked to “inspect this naval vessel, seize samples of grain for forensic examination, request information on the location of such grain.”
Speaking on Ukrainian national television on Sunday, the country’s ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, said he hoped the grain would be confiscated.
He said: “We have our full cooperation. The ship is currently standing at the port entrance. He was detained by the customs authorities of Turkey.
However, the difficulty in identifying the grain’s origin remains real. Russian-appointed administrations in the occupied territories also claim to be working in partnership with local farmers to put grain on the world market.
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On Tuesday, authorities established by Russia in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporozhye region announced an agreement to sell grain to Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Russian news agency TASS quoted the head of the administration, Yevgeny Balitsky, as saying that Russian agricultural traders and state-owned companies are buying grain from farmers in the region.
“Prices are not bad at the moment,” Balicki told the news agency. “The farmer gets about $200 per ton of grain, which is great because his production costs are about $120, even taking into account the long storage time that was forced.”
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