The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has sent an official request to Israeli authorities for the arrest of the vessel PANORMITIS, which, according to Ukrainian law enforcement, is carrying grain illegally exported from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Facts of illegal transportation and international reaction
As reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, a package of documents for the detention of the vessel and its cargo has already been sent to Israel. The Ukrainian side is requesting that Israeli partners arrest the vessel, conduct a search, seize the ship’s and cargo documentation, take grain samples, and interrogate the crew. PANORMITIS is currently heading to the Israeli port of Haifa, and the grain was transshipped from another vessel after unloading.
“Today our documents are already there. The Ukrainian side is asking Israeli partners to arrest the vessel and cargo, conduct a search, seize the ship’s and cargo documentation, take grain samples, and interrogate the crew members.”
Investigators have recorded instances of the vessel illegally entering closed Ukrainian ports, which is a violation of Ukrainian legislation and international maritime law. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Official position of Ukraine and diplomatic actions
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha emphasized that Ukraine has officially appealed to Israel through diplomatic and legal channels, demanding action regarding the vessel PANORMITIS. According to Sybiha, this is not “Twitter diplomacy,” but a specific legal request for international legal assistance, to which Ukraine expects a serious response.
The Office of the Prosecutor General notes that since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression, over 1.7 million tons of agricultural products worth more than 20 billion hryvnias have been illegally exported from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports that several batches of Ukrainian agricultural products illegally exported by Russia from occupied regions have already arrived in Israel.
On April 27, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that in response to reports of a second vessel with Ukrainian grain arriving in Israel, the Israeli ambassador was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded by stating that “diplomatic relations, especially between friendly nations, are not conducted on Twitter or in the media.”