Main image: A protest took place in Israel against the purchase of Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia. By Mikhail Kórotkov
Israeli company Dizengoff Trading, which has become the center of an international scandal over suspicions of purchasing stolen Ukrainian grain, has decided to suspend future orders for wheat supplies from Russia. This followed a complaint filed by the Ukrainian Embassy in Tel Aviv with the Israeli police against two local importers. The complaint names the companies Dizengoff Trading, which received about 43,800 tons of grain (of which 16,500 tons are considered stolen), and the firm Zenziper, which, according to available data, chose to отказаться from the questionable shipment, as reported by Haaretz.
According to investigative materials, a large-scale maritime smuggling scheme was organized under the leadership of the “Strategic Grain Management” from Dubai. The wheat was loaded in the occupied ports of Berdiansk and Sevastopol onto small vessels “Leonid Pastrikov” and “Fedor,” after which it was transshipped at sea onto the large bulk carrier “Abinsk.” To conceal the illegal route, the “Abinsk” regularly turned off its tracking system, reactivating it only after leaving the loading zone on its way to Haifa. The presence of feeder vessels in the mentioned ports on the dates provided by Ukraine is confirmed by satellite imagery.
The Ukrainian side insists on conducting laboratory analysis of the products to identify soil markers characteristic of eastern regions of Ukraine and demands the seizure of ship documents to expose the fraudulent network. In addition to working with Israeli police, Kyiv is cooperating with the European Union to impose sanctions on those violating international law.
In turn, representatives of Dizengoff Trading state that they comply with all trade standards and possess the necessary certificates, but emphasize that they are surprised by the accusations and currently do not plan new purchases from Russian suppliers.
Despite the provided evidence, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the complaint as insufficiently substantiated, which caused strong dissatisfaction among Ukrainian diplomats. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that the lack of an adequate response to such incidents could jeopardize bilateral relations.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Israel, which imports 90% of its wheat consumption, has become critically dependent on the Russian market after 2022, when supplies from Ukraine sharply declined. At the same time, the European Union has already warned of its readiness to prosecute any participants in supply chains that facilitate illegal financing of military actions.
