Israel systematically receiving grain stolen from occupied territories of Ukraine since 2022 - Haaretz

In early April, the dry cargo ship Abinsk, flying the flag of russia — the aggressor nation — docked at the Israeli port of Haifa. It delivered a shipment of Ukrainian wheat stolen from the occupied territories of Ukraine. The Israeli publication Haaretz reports this, citing its own sources, that this is far from the first such incident since 2022.

According to documents, ship tracking data, and satellite imagery, at least two ships carrying Ukrainian grain arrived in Israel by 2023. It is known that at least one of them unloaded its cargo. The behavior of seven other ships that unloaded in Israel that same year also raises suspicions that they attempted to conceal the origin of the grain they were transporting.

Documents kept by the russians in the occupied ports and obtained by Haaretz journalists list more than 30 shipments of stolen grain destined for Israel.

Unnamed sources told Haaretz that this is an ongoing practice. Since the beginning of 2026 alone, four shipments of grain from Ukraine’s occupied territories have been unloaded at Israeli ports.

The publication reports that russia began systematically exporting grain from the occupied territories almost immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the theft of wheat and other agricultural products is only the first step. Next, it needs to be sold. Initially, the Russians tried to export directly through occupied Ukrainian ports, without hiding the wheat’s origin. This plan failed due to international criticism and shipowners’ refusal to call at the occupied ports.

For this reason, Russia is using dishonest methods to export and conceal its activities involving the stolen grain. This includes purchasing grain from farmers in the occupied territories and subsequently shipping it to russian territory, from where it is exported under the guise of being russian. Additionally, cargo is being transshipped from one vessel to another on the high seas, transponders are being turned off, and a number of other maritime violations are occurring.

Documents obtained by Haaretz show that from November 2022 to June 2023, at least 120 shipments of Ukrainian grain departed from Sevastopol and Kerch in the occupied Crimea. Of these, 31 shipments — totaling about 90,000 tons — were destined for Israel.

An unnamed Israeli importer told reporters that russian suppliers claim the wheat comes from Siberia. According to him, the suppliers provide documents confirming this, and Israeli buyers have no way of verifying whether they are lying.

“Only after the Ukrainian Embassy contacted us and warned that it is prohibited to buy from these specific suppliers did we realize that this is the source of the wheat,” the publication quotes him as saying.

Haaretz reached out to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for comments on why Jerusalem is allowing the smuggling of Ukrainian grain and why it did not take action after Ukraine raised the issue. In response, the ministry stated that Israel had sent answers to these questions “to our Ukrainian friends through diplomatic and professional channels.”

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, today, April 27, Axios journalist Barak Ravid stated, citing sources, that the ship Panoramitis had entered the port of Haifa with a cargo of Ukrainian grain. Ukraine is preparing diplomatic measures if Israeli authorities allow the ship to unload the grain.