KARASU/KYIV, Ukraine –
Turkish customs authorities have detained a Russian cargo ship carrying grain that Ukraine claims was stolen, Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey said on Sunday.
Ukraine previously asked Turkey to detain the Russian-flagged cargo ship Zhibek Joly, according to an official and documents seen by Reuters.
Reuters reporters saw the ship Zhibek Zholy anchored about one kilometer offshore and outside the port of Karasu on Sunday, with no obvious signs of movement on board or from other vessels nearby.
“We have full cooperation. The ship is currently standing at the port entrance, detained by the customs authorities of Turkey,” Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said on Ukrainian national television.
Bodnar said the fate of the ship would be decided by a meeting of investigators on Monday and that Ukraine hoped the grain would be confiscated.
Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain from the territories Russian forces have seized since the invasion of Moscow began in late February. The Kremlin has previously denied that Russia stole Ukrainian grain.
A Ukrainian foreign ministry official, citing information from Ukraine’s maritime administration, told Reuters on Friday that the 7,146-ton Zhibek Zholy had loaded the first cargo of about 4,500 tons of Ukrainian grain from Berdyansk, a Russian-occupied port in southern Ukraine.
The Sakarya Regional Port Authority could not be reached for comment. The Turkish Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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