Customs authorities of Turkey have detained a Russian cargo ship that was carrying stolen Ukrainian grain.
This was announced on Sunday by the Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey, reports “ProAgro Group” with reference to Reuters.
The agency notes that Ukraine has previously requested Turkey to detain a cargo ship Zhibek Zholy, flying the flag of Russia. On the spot, Reuters journalists saw the said ship, which was anchored about 1 km from the shore outside the port of Karasu with no obvious signs of movement on board.
“We are fully cooperating. The ship is now standing at the entrance to the port, it has been detained by the Turkish customs authorities,” Ambassador Vasily Bodnar said on Ukrainian national television.
Bodnar added that the fate of the ship will be decided by a meeting of investigators on Monday and that Ukraine hopes to confiscate the grain.
A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman, citing information from Ukraine’s maritime administration, told Reuters that the 7,146-ton Zhibek Zholy loaded its first cargo of about 4,500 tons of Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied Berdyansk.
