A new stage in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian freighter Zhibek Zholy, accused by Kyiv of being loaded with stolen Ukrainian wheat, entered Russian territorial waters after leaving Turkey’s coast where it was anchored for six days, a senior Turkish official told on Thursday AFP. According to the latter and a Turkish diplomatic source who asked not to be identified, the ship entered the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, towards Port-Kavkaz.
The Zhibek Zholy had been immobilized in the bay of the Black Sea port of Karasu since Friday, according to the Marine Traffic Site. According to this site, where you can follow sea traffic live, he had sent his last signal about twenty kilometers from the coast.
“We regret that the Russian ship Zhibek Zholy loaded with stolen Ukrainian grain was allowed to leave the port of Karasu despite the evidence presented to the Turkish authorities (…),” spokesman for Ukrainian diplomacy Oleg Nikolenko previously tweeted, adding that the Turkish ambassador will be invited “to clarify this unacceptable situation. A Turkish diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that the Turkish ambassador in Kyiv had been “summoned”.
7000 tons of illegally procured grain
The Turkish news agency DHA defended itself by saying that the cargo ship turned off its transponder, a device for locating ships at sea. Turkey, a NATO member, is considered an ally of Ukraine, which supplies them with combat drones, but they respect a neutral one attitude towards Russia, on which it depends in particular for its gas supplies.
Ukraine, which has accused Russia of stealing its wheat crop, says the Zhibek Zholy, which left Ukraine’s port of Berdyansk under Russian occupation last Thursday, was loaded with 7,000 tons of illegally sourced grain.