Vessel with stolen Ukrainian grain has left Israeli waters

The vessel PANORMITIS, which was transporting grain illegally removed from Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories, has moved away from the coast of Israel into neutral waters following diplomatic intervention by Kyiv, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced. According to him, Israeli competent authorities began fulfilling Ukraine's request, and the violation itself was recorded at the international level.

Previously, the vessel had been anchored near Haifa awaiting permission to enter the port, but the situation changed after Ukraine submitted evidence and an official arrest request.

The incident caused diplomatic tensions between the countries: Andrii Sybiha spoke of Israel's insufficient response to previous cases, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded with criticism of public communication through media and social networks.

Ukraine delivered a note of protest to the Israeli ambassador and submitted an official package of documents for the vessel's arrest, after which the Israeli import company refused to unload it.

In the wake of the incident, the EU and Ukraine are considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against companies and individuals involved in trading stolen grain.

Source: Babel, Ruslan Kravchenko