Egypt has denied a Russian cargo ship carrying 30,000 tons of wheat entry to the port of Alexandria, because the cargo was likely stolen by the Russians in Ukraine.
The ship picked up the shipment in April at the port of Sevastopol in Crimea and has since sailed on to the Syrian port of Latakia. However, the cargo is still not being unloaded there either.
After Ukraine stated that it was very likely that the grain came from Russian-occupied areas, both countries refused to buy the ship's cargo. According to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, two other ships currently in the Mediterranean are also seeking buyers for “plundered grain.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Moscow of being a “triple criminal.” First Russia bombarded Syria, then occupied part of Ukraine, and now wants to sell the stolen Ukrainian grain to Syria.
Minister Kuleba reminded potential buyers that anyone involved in the sale, transport, and purchase becomes complicit in the crime. According to him, Russia has already stolen up to 500,000 tons of grain from Ukraine and it can be assumed that every cargo ship currently docking in Sevastopol contains stolen goods.
According to Ukrainian authorities and open-source investigations, the cargo ship in question is one of at least three vessels involved in the trade of stolen grain. The company that owns the ship is not listed on international sanctions lists, CNN reports.
The Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula itself produces little wheat due to inadequate irrigation systems. According to Ukrainian authorities, thousands of tons of grain are currently being transported by truck to Crimea.