Lebanon refused to accept a ship with stolen Ukrainian grain

The Russian vessel “Nikolai Leonov” was not allowed to enter Lebanese waters with a consignment of approximately 5,000 tons of wheat, which was loaded in the temporarily occupied Berdyansk.

This is reported by the Lebanese publication Nida Al Watan. 

Thus, in May 2025, the vessel “Nikolai Leonov” (IMO: 9922134) under the Russian flag was not accepted in Lebanon.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Beirut confirmed in an official statement that the grain was loaded in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port of Berdyansk.

“The embassy explained that the vessel entered the Russian port of Temryuk between May 4 and 6, 2025, where forged documents were issued stating that the grain came from Russia and was loaded from a Russian port in order to hide its true origin,” the article says.

In particular, the journalist of the SeaKrime project of the Myrotvorets center, Kateryna Yaresko, noted that the ship “Nikolai Leonov” turned off the AIS while in Berdyansk, which indicates an attempt to hide its true route.

It also became known that the offending ship unloaded in Egypt.

The War&Sanctions portal from the Defense Intelligence notes that the ship fell under US sanctions back in April 2023. In particular, in 2024 and 2025, “Nikolai Leonov” carried out operations in the ports of the Crimean Territory.

Read also: More than 30 ships and 80 captains. Intelligence collected evidence of theft of Ukrainian grain.