Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar announced the detention of the Russian cargo ship Zhibek Zholy with Ukrainian grain, which, according to the Ukrainian authorities, was stolen and taken out of Berdyansk. The information was confirmed by a RIA Novosti source in the customs of the Turkish port. The ship is moored near the port of Karasu. Proceedings on the Russian ship detained in the Turkish port are ongoing, the situation is still unclear, media reports.
“We have full cooperation. The vessel is currently standing at the entrance to the port, it has been detained by Turkish customs,” Bodnar said .
According to Reuters , Russia took out 4.5 thousand tons of grain belonging to Ukraine on this ship. On Friday, July 1, the Ukrainian authorities turned to Turkey with a request to arrest this cargo ship. It was also reported that the Prosecutor General of Ukraine sent a letter to the Turkish Ministry of Justice, where it was reported that the Russian vessel was involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian grain to the Turkish city of Karasu. The Prosecutor General's Office asked the Turkish side to inspect the vessel, seize grain samples for examination and demand information about its whereabouts.
According to the estimates of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, since the beginning of the war, Russia has stolen and exported at least 400,000 tons of Ukrainian grain. Turkey buys the stolen grain from Russia. Also, a significant part of the stolen grain is transported across the Mediterranean on bulk carriers flying Russian flags to Syria. From there, the grain can be smuggled to the countries of the Middle East.