MAY 11, 2022:
LVIV, Ukraine (AP)— Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show that a Russian ship believed to be carrying stolen Ukrainian grain has docked in Syria.
The photo taken Tuesday by Planet Labs PBC showed the Russian-flagged Matros Pozynich at dockside in Latakia, Syria.
The ship seen in the photo matched known characteristics of the bulk carrier, as well as its dimensions.
The ship turned off its transponders nearly a week ago off the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.
Samir Madani, the co-founder of the online research firm TankerTrackers.com, also told the AP that he believed the ship docked in Latakia was the Matros Pozynich, based on its dimensions and last-known position.
Ukraine has alleged that the ship had 27,000 tons of grains Russia stole from the country. It alleged Russia initially tried to ship the grains to Egypt, which refused to take the cargo. Ukrainian diplomats had been asking nations not to accept the grain.
The ship’s registered owners, Crane Marine Contractor LLC of Astrakhan, Russia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Russian bombing campaign and support from Iran beat back insurgents who nearly toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad after the 2011 Arab Spring. Russia still maintains a navy and air base in Syria, though it has reportedly rotated forces out of the country to aid its war on Ukraine.
MAY 4, 2022:
Russia stands accused of stealing several hundred thousand tons of grain from the parts of Ukraine it currently controls.
Business Insider says Ukraine’s deputy agriculture minister made the accusation over the weekend. Another 1.5 million tons of grain are in territory Russia controls and are available to be stolen too. The Ukraine Foreign Ministry made the claim last week on Twitter, saying, “We demand that Russia stop illicit grain stealing, unblock Ukrainian ports, and allow ships to pass.”
The humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion is only growing worse. The United Nations says over 1.7 billion people are at risk of poverty and famine due to disruption in Ukraine’s food production system. Ukraine’s ag minister says they’ve personally heard from many silo owners in the occupied territory about Russian forces stealing grain. The Kremlin denied the accusations that its forces are stealing grain, saying it was unaware of the source of that information.
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