Ukrainian Embassy contacts police over Israeli import of stolen grain

The Ukrainian Embassy in Tel Aviv has filed an official complaint with the Israeli police against two Israeli companies.

UNITED24 reports.

The firms are accused of importing wheat stolen by Russia from the temporarily occupied regions of eastern Ukraine.

The two companies named in the complaint are Zenziper, which reportedly decided to abandon the suspicious shipment, and Dizengoff Trading. According to the embassy document, Dizengoff received 43,800 tons of grain, including approximately 16,500 tons of allegedly stolen wheat. The cargo was unloaded from the Abinsk vessel after it docked at the port of Haifa on April 12.

The complaint describes a large-scale maritime smuggling operation coordinated by the Russian supplier Strategic Grain Management, headquartered in Dubai. The stolen wheat was initially loaded onto two smaller feeder ships docked in occupied Ukraine. Leonid Pastrikov loaded 7,600 tons in the port of Berdyansk, and Fedor loaded 8,900 tons in Sevastopol.

The ships then headed for the Kavkaz anchorage in the northern Black Sea, transshipping the wheat to the larger Abinsk. To conceal the origin of its cargo, the Abinsk frequently turned off its tracking transponders. On March 17, after receiving grain from the occupied ports, the ship turned its transponders back on. It headed for Israel, eventually unloading at the Dagon silos in the port city of Haifa.

Haaretz has obtained satellite images confirming the presence of the feeder ships in Berdyansk and Sevastopol on the dates claimed by Ukraine.

The embassy’s direct submission is a significant step in Ukraine’s legal campaign. Previously, lawyer Liora Turlevska filed complaints on behalf of the embassy with the Lahav 433 crime unit of the police and with the Israeli Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism. The charges include false declarations about the origin of the grain, forgery of documents, fraud and money laundering.

Ukrainian authorities are demanding that the grain cargo be sent for laboratory testing to detect soil markers characteristic of eastern Ukraine. The demands also include the seizure of the ship’s documents to expose the fraudulent network.

In addition to internal Israeli legal channels, Haaretz notes that Kyiv is currently working with the European Union to seek sanctions against Israeli companies based on international law that prohibits trade in agricultural products from the occupied territories.

Dizengoff Trading responded that the company operates “in accordance with accepted international trade standards” and has all the necessary documentation. The company added that it was surprised by the allegations, was awaiting instructions from Israeli authorities and had no future orders for “Russian” wheat.

An industry source told Haaretz that Israeli importers could be the victims of a “Russian attack,” noting that while the firms buy from well-known suppliers, a growing number of recent shipments have come from dubious sources.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry quickly dismissed the complaint, saying it “contains gaps in information and lacks supporting evidence.” Ukrainian officials expressed disappointment, pointing out that, under mutual legal assistance treaties, providing raw evidence at this preliminary stage is not mandatory and could jeopardize the investigation.

The dispute threatens to disrupt the grain supply chain to Israel. About 90 percent of the wheat consumed in Israel is imported. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Israel has been heavily dependent on Russian imports, while imports from Ukraine — previously Israel’s top supplier — have plummeted.

The police complaint coincides with growing international pressure on the smuggling network. The European Union recently announced it was reviewing reports of stolen Ukrainian grain arriving in Haifa and warned it could impose sanctions on individuals or entities in third countries that facilitate the trade.

EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El-Anuni said the bloc was ready to pursue anyone who helps finance Russia’s illegal military effort. At the same time, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s ambassador, Mykhailo Brodsky, to lodge a formal protest.

Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha warned that Israel’s lack of response to the continued presence of the Russian ships risked undermining bilateral ties.

USM previously reported that Egypt allowed the unloading of a ship with stolen Ukrainian grain.