© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Russian-flagged bulk service Matros Koshka sails within the Bosphorus, on its option to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey Could 27, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File Picture
2/6
By Jonathan Spicer and Reade Levinson
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Ukraine has requested Turkey to assist examine three Russian-flagged ships as a part of Kyiv’s efforts to probe what it alleges is the theft of grain from Russian-occupied territory, in keeping with official paperwork.
In a June 13 letter, which hasn’t beforehand been reported, the Ukrainian prosecutor common’s workplace requested Turkey’s justice ministry to analyze and supply proof on the three named ships it suspects have been concerned in transporting grain allegedly stolen from lately occupied Ukrainian territories, equivalent to Kherson.
The letter, which Reuters reviewed, mentioned the ships travelled from Crimea’s foremost grain terminal in Sevastopol in April and Could and pressed Ankara to acquire documentation about their cargo and arrival at Turkish ports. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
All three giant dry bulk carriers – Mikhail Nenashev, Matros Pozynich and Matros Koshka – are owned by a subsidiary of a Western-sanctioned Russian state-owned firm known as United Shipbuilding Company, in keeping with Equasis, a transport database. The Russian firm didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Whether it is established that United Shipbuilding Company transported grain from recently-occupied Ukrainian territory, it will add to rising proof of the involvement by Russian-state owned entities in exporting what Kyiv alleges is stolen items. Ukraine has publicly accused Moscow of stealing grain because the February invasion; Russia has repeatedly denied it has stolen any Ukrainian grain.
The battle in Ukraine has heightened issues about meals safety each in Ukraine and across the globe, driving up world meals costs to file ranges this 12 months. Ukraine is likely one of the world’s largest grain exporters however has struggled to export items with struggle raging alongside its southern coast and lots of of its ports blocked. Grain accounts for practically a fifth of all of the nation’s exports, in keeping with official knowledge.
Reuters was unable to find out the origin or finish vacation spot of the grain within the ships named by Kyiv within the letter.
The Kremlin didn’t reply to requests for remark. Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed administration in Kherson, mentioned grain from the area was going to Crimea and that native farmers had been liable for transporting it there. He mentioned he had no information of any shipments to Turkey or the Center East.
Reuters on Friday reported that Kyiv in a separate letter, dated June 30, requested Turkey’s justice ministry to detain and arrest one other Russian-flagged ship carrying what it mentioned was Ukrainian grain from the occupied port of Berdyansk. On Monday, a senior Turkish official mentioned Turkey had halted the cargo ship and is investigating Ukraine’s declare.
NATO member Turkey, which has good ties with each Moscow and Kyiv, has criticised the invasion but additionally rejected Western sanctions on Russia. Ankara has agreed with Ukraine to dam industrial shipments between Crimea and Turkey since 2014.
On the similar time, Turkey has performed a key function in discussions between the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine on a possible Black Sea hall to export grain from Ukraine.
Turkey’s justice ministry declined to touch upon Kyiv’s two letters and referred to current feedback by the Turkish overseas ministry that it had investigated Ukraine’s public claims that grain stolen by Russia had made its option to Turkey and decided there was no subject.
“We noticed that the ships’ port of departure and the origin of the products is Russia on the information,” International Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu instructed reporters on June 23, with out figuring out which ships. “We’re towards Ukrainian grains or different items being taken by Russia … and we is not going to permit these items to return to us.” The overseas ministry didn’t reply to requests for touch upon the ship from Berdyansk that arrived in Turkey late final week.
A Turkish diplomatic supply added that Kyiv had shared with Ankara its claims about allegedly stolen grain being delivered to Turkey by way of Russian ships and that cooperation with Ukrainian officers was ongoing.
The Ukrainian prosecutor common’s workplace didn’t reply to requests for remark. Taras Vysotskiy, the primary deputy to Ukraine’s agriculture minister, instructed Reuters that Kyiv estimates about 400,000 tonnes of stolen grain has been exported. Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, instructed Reuters Ukraine believes most of that has gone to Turkey and Kyiv has despatched what it thought-about to be proof on the involvement of 13 ships to Turkish authorities.
The June 13 letter mentioned not less than two of the ships switched off monitoring techniques that brazenly broadcast earlier than coming into Sevastopol port.
It additionally mentioned Kyiv suspected grain was being taken from lately occupied territory, notably Kherson, the place it mentioned there have been a number of grain elevators that the homeowners don’t have entry to as a result of occupation. It didn’t establish the homeowners. Kyiv, within the letter, added that it’s investigating legal violations of Ukraine’s guidelines and customs of struggle, with out naming people.
Ukraine’s embassy in Beirut instructed Reuters that not less than seven corporations who personal storage models in newly-occupied territory have registered legal circumstances with Ukrainian authorities alleging Russia stole their wheat. Two of the businesses, Ukrlandfarming and State Meals and Grain Company of Ukraine, confirmed to Reuters they’d submitted a doc to Ukrainian authorities however declined to offer particulars. The others didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Ukraine has additionally mentioned Russia has despatched its ally Syria wheat allegedly stolen from Ukraine since invading in February. Ukraine’s embassy in Beirut instructed Reuters that not less than 150,000 tonnes of what it mentioned was “stolen” wheat have made it to Syria since February, totally on Russian ships, with out specifying the way it knew.
Neither Syria’s port authority, which is a part of the transport ministry, nor the Syrian data ministry responded to requests for remark.
TURKISH TRIPS
One of many vessels Kyiv named within the June 13 letter, the 169-metre lengthy Mikhail Nenashev, was at Sevastopol’s Avlita grain terminal from June 14 to 16, in keeping with satellite tv for pc imagery captured by Planet Labs PBC, a non-public satellite tv for pc operator, which present the ship docked beside grain silos with cranes towering above.
The vessel arrived eight days later at Iskenderun, Turkey, in keeping with Refinitiv Eikon ship-tracking knowledge. Images and movies equipped by Yoruk Isik, an Istanbul-based geopolitical analyst and head of the Bosphorus Observer consultancy, present port cranes lifting what seems from the photographs to be a golden, grain-like cargo from the Mikhail Nenashev into vehicles on June 27 at close by Dortyol port.
Since March, the Mikhail Nenashev has visited the Sevastopol grain terminal on not less than three different events earlier than arriving in Turkey between 5 and 15 days later, in keeping with satellite tv for pc imagery and ship-tracking knowledge.
In a single occasion, it unloaded 27,000 tonnes of wheat within the Turkish seaport of Derince on April 22, in keeping with knowledge from Refinitiv Eikon, which reveals the cargo was loaded in Sevastopol, Crimea. Ukraine, in its June 13 letter, mentioned the Mikhail Nenashev loaded 27,500 tonnes of grain at Sevastopol’s Avlita grain terminal in April, with out specifying which day.
Dortyol Port didn’t reply to Reuters’ queries in regards to the shipments or precautions taken in mild of Ukrainian claims. Derince Port confirmed it acquired “Russian ships carrying grains” however didn’t touch upon screening processes. There was no reply at Avlita’s head workplace and an individual on the Sevastopol workplace who answered the cellphone denied all information of Ukrainian grain on the port and put down the cellphone.
One other one of many ships, the Matros Pozynich, docked in Syria on not less than three events inside per week or two of visiting Sevastopol’s Avlita grain terminal, in keeping with satellite tv for pc imagery and ship-tracking knowledge. The third ship, Matros Koshka, has on not less than three events left Sevastopol’s grain terminal earlier than turning off ship transponders, in keeping with satellite tv for pc imagery and monitoring knowledge. On a type of events, it docked in Syria 10 days later, in keeping with a Planet Labs satellite tv for pc picture.
All three ships are owned and managed by Russian-based firm Crane Marine Contractor LLC and had been bought in both December or February, in keeping with possession information from Equasis. The corporate is a subsidiary of United Shipbuilding Company (USC), in keeping with a duplicate of Crane Marine’s constitution at the moment on its web site. USC’s web site additionally lists Crane Marine as certainly one of its corporations. Russian firm information present Crane Marine is owned by Caspian Vitality group, which is a part of USC, in keeping with USC firm press releases dated in 2018.
Crane Marine didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The USA sanctioned USC in 2014 in response to Russia’s efforts “to destabilize japanese Ukraine” saying the state-owned defence know-how agency manufactured arms and constructed ships for the Russian navy. In April, Washington renewed and expanded its sanctions regarding the corporate. Britain sanctioned USC in February.
