Ukraine, Israel exchange accusations over shipments of ‘stolen’ grain

KYIV: Ukraine and Israel were engaged in a diplomatic dispute on Tuesday after Kyiv alleged that Israel had received grain taken by Russia from occupied Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine summoned Israel’s ambassador to register a protest over the alleged deliveries. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of exporting agricultural produce illegally from areas seized since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement on social media that another ship carrying such cargo had reached an Israeli port and was getting ready to unload.

"Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload, Zelensky wrote, adding, "The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying,

The latest exchange followed an investigation by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which reported that the cargo vessel Abinsk, described as apparently belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, had docked at Haifa a couple of weeks earlier.

Ukraine had warned Israel in advance about the vessel’s cargo. Israel, however, said Kyiv had not presented proof for its allegations and denied that the ship had reached the port of Haifa.

The Haaretz investigation also said this was not the first such case involving grain from Ukraine. It reported that by 2023, at least two ships carrying what it described as stolen grain had arrived in Israel, and at least one of them had unloaded there.

Responding to the allegations at a news conference, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Ukraine had not formally backed its claims through legal channels or evidence. "The Ukrainian government has not submitted a request for legal assistance… nor has the Ukrainian government provided evidence for its claims," Saar said in response to a question.

Ukraine, one of the world’s major grain producers, says Russia stole more than two million tonnes of grain from occupied territory in 2025. Ukrainian authorities have said they tracked shipments to Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The dispute adds to longstanding Ukrainian accusations that agricultural products from occupied areas have been moved abroad by Russia since the start of the war. Tuesday’s developments brought those claims into a direct diplomatic confrontation with Israel after Kyiv publicly objected to the alleged arrival of another shipment.