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Ukraine says Russian ship carrying stolen grain docked at Haifa, asks Israel to detain it

15 April 2026 13:04 (UTC +04:00)

Israel has allowed a Russian ship carrying stolen Ukrainian grain to dock in Haifa, Ukraine alleged Tuesday, reportedly asking Israel to stop the vessel from leaving the port, The Times of Israel reports.

The Russian vessel ABINSK was loaded by boats sailing from ports in Russian-occupied Ukraine, according to Ukrainian journalist Kateryna Yaresko of the Myrotvorets Center’s SeaKrime project.

Since Russia’s capture of swaths of agricultural land in Ukraine in early 2022, Kyiv has accused Moscow of illegally harvesting and shipping grain produced on occupied territory to third countries, often using vessels from a so-called shadow fleet.

Axios reported Tuesday that Ukrainian Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk met with senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials on March 27 and asked them to prevent the ship, apparently part of the shadow fleet, from docking in Israel. As the ship was permitted to dock, Ukraine’s attorney general met Israel’s Ambassador to Kyiv Michael Brodsky on Tuesday to ask Israel to stop the vessel from leaving the port, according to the report. Additionally, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar to discuss the cargo, Kyiv said.

Sybiha “drew attention to a Russian vessel carrying grain stolen from Ukraine that was allowed to dock in one of Israel’s ports.”

He stressed “that the illegal export of stolen Ukrainian agricultural products is part of Russia’s broader war effort. Such illegal trade with stolen goods must not be allowed.”

Shadow fleet vessels typically have opaque ownership structures and have raised concern about environmental risks, with poorly regulated, aging tankers prone to spills, mechanical failures and leaks, threatening marine ecosystems.

They usually sail without top-tier Western insurance or safety certification cover, and often have unknown insurers or assessors of seaworthiness — both required for ocean-going commercial ships, shipping and insurance industry sources familiar with the matter have said.