The bulk carrier Panormitis is transporting over 25,000 tons of grain, some of which is documented to be connected with supplies from occupied Berdyansk.
The bulk carrier Panormitis (IMO: 9445021) is heading to the Israeli port of Haifa with a cargo of 6,201.56 tons of wheat and 19,043.73 tons of barley from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This was reported by Kateryna Yaresko, a journalist for the SeaKrime project of the Peacemaker Center.
The vessel itself did not enter the occupied Ukrainian ports, being at anchor in the port of Kavkaz in the territorial waters of the Russian Federation. At the same time, grain was delivered to it by other vessels, which committed direct violations.
In particular, the participation of the bulk carrier Leonid Pestrikov (IMO: 9922122) was confirmed, which loaded in occupied Berdyansk between April 7 and 15, 2026 and transported 6,087.68 tons of barley and 954.56 tons of wheat to Panormitis. The transshipment took place on April 18.
Documents for this cargo were already issued in the Russian port of Temryuk, where the ship arrived with the loaded grain. This practice is used to mask the origin of the products – there is no customs control in Berdyansk, and registration in Russian ports allows you to hide the real source of the cargo.
The exporter is the Petrokhleb-Kuban company, which, according to investigations, is systematically involved in the export of grain from the occupied territories.
Thus, the Russians regularly use disinformation schemes to export grain. The documents indicate fictitious ports of loading, and the origin of the grain is hidden.
Criminal proceedings are ongoing in Ukraine regarding the illegal export of agricultural products from the occupied territories. An important element of the evidentiary base is cooperation with the countries of destination of such cargoes.
At the same time, a previous similar case with the vessel Abinsk (IMO: 9303869) did not lead to results – Israel refused to provide Ukraine with international legal assistance.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that Israel’s ambassador had been summoned to his ministry over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Sybiha that Ukraine had provided no evidence to support allegations that the grain was “stolen”. He accused him of conducting diplomacy through the media.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported earlier that the vessel Panormitis, which it said was carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territory, was waiting for permission to berth in Haifa.
The newspaper said four shipments of grain from occupied Ukraine had already been unloaded in Israel this year.
Sybiha, writing in English on social media, said it was, “difficult to understand Israel’s lack of appropriate response to Ukraine’s legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa”.
“Now that another such vessel has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations,” he wrote.
Israel’s ambassador, he said, had been asked to appear at the foreign ministry on Tuesday so that Kyiv could, “present our protest note and request appropriate action”.
In his response, also on social media, Sa’ar said the issue would be examined, but that allegations were not evidence and no evidence had been provided.
“You did not even submit a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks,” Sa’ar said.
Diplomatic relations, “are not conducted on Twitter or in the media”, he added.
A Ukrainian diplomatic source, speaking earlier on condition of anonymity, said that if Israel did not reject the latest cargo, Kyiv would, “reserve the right to deploy a full suite of diplomatic and international legal responses”.
The source said Kyiv was tracking the latest vessel and Israel had, “essentially shrugged off,” Kyiv’s previous demands.
