The Russian-flagged cargo ship Zhibek Zholy anchored off the Black Sea coast of Turkey on July 5. (Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)
The release of a Russian ship allegedly transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from Turkish waters is “unacceptable,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said.
Turkey ignored a request to detain the ship and cargo, and the ship was released on July 6, according to a ministry statement on Thursday.
She expressed “deep disappointment and appealed to the Turkish side with an urgent request to conduct an investigation … and to provide a comprehensive response to the requests of the relevant authorities of Ukraine”.
The Russian merchant ship Zhibek Zholy transported the grain from the occupied port of Berdyansk to the Turkish port of Karasu.
“Regarding the unacceptable situation, the Ambassador of Turkey in Kyiv was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the ministry added.
CNN has reached out to the Turkish government for comment.
As the Russian news agency TASS announced on Thursday, the Zhibek Zholy, “which is anchored in Turkey, is planning to sail due to lay times and ship grain to a storage ship”.
“It is planned to go to the accumulation (storage) ship and tranship,” TASS said, citing one of the ship’s crew members. “Then when the great ship is loaded, (it) sails to the ports and unloads.”
Ship monitoring data on Thursday shows that the Zhibek Zholy’s transponder is no longer active at her recent anchorage outside of Karasu.
Satellite images show that Russian ships often unload their cargo onto other ships in the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar previously told CNN that the Zhibek Zholy is anchored near Karasu because “she has actually been detained by Turkish customs authorities and is not allowed to enter the port”.
“Now we are waiting for the decision of the relevant authorities of Turkey on the measures insisted on by the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine,” he added.
Some background: For months, Ukraine and allied countries have been trying to ease a growing food crisis caused by Russia’s months-long blockade of Ukrainian ports, with Moscow accused of using food as a weapon of war.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said up to 60 million tons of grain could be stuck in the country by autumn if it continues to face export blockades.
The UN has said Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports has already pushed up global food prices and is threatening to cause catastrophic food shortages in some parts of the world.
Russia has repeatedly denied blocking ports or stealing grain.