Lebanon Detains Syrian Ship Carrying Stolen Grain From Ukraine

In the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war, a Syria-based ship loaded with stolen Ukrainian grain was detained in Lebanon. Per the LBCI media, the Public Prosecution seized the vessel Laodicea docked in Tripoli port in Lebanon. The ship was held for 72 hours. Per a Ukrinform report, the Ukrainian embassy in Lebanon received the necessary authorization.

Per the Embassy, the Russians loaded the ship with Ukrainian grains on 27 July in Crimea. The vessel was loaded with barley harvested from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied zones, per Ukrinform.

Following the remarks of the Ukrainian Embassy, the Russian Embassy based in Lebanon argued that the claim is not valid and is also “groundless.” It added that it knows nothing about the ship.

In addition, the First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Taras Vysotsky, observed that Russia’s intruders had seized a hundred thousand tonnes of Ukraine’s grain from the temporarily held regions in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia provinces, per latest media reports.

Zelenskyy visited the Ukrainian port to supervise the preparation of the first-ever Ukrainian grain export.

A week following an agreement was reached with Turkey, Russia, and the UN to have a safe passageway for vessels to export grains that have long been stuck in war-torn Ukraine since Russia attacked the country five months ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a visit to one of the major Black Sea ports in Ukraine on 29 July.

As Zelenskyy visited the port in the Odesa area, workers were seen preparing terminals for grain exports, which are reliant on by the millions of starving destitute worldwide, The Associated Press observed. Since the commencement of the war, the first vessel is finally being loaded, Zelenskyy revealed.

Besides, several vessels packed but unable to leave the Ukrainian ports due to the Russian invasion, per Zelenskyy, will resume the shipment of grains. He mentioned that Ukraine is prepared fully. The country sent signals to its partners, the UN and Turkey, and the military guaranteed the security situation. Zelenskyy also said that it is essential that Ukraine remains the guarantor of global food security.

The trips to the ports are part of a broader effort demonstrated by Ukraine to show the world that after last week’s historic deal, they’re nearly prepared to resume exporting several millions of tonnes of grains.

This came a week after Russia’s missiles hit Odessa, raising doubts if Moscow would adhere to the deal made only a few hours before, per media reports. The parties concurred to make it seamless to transport Russia’s food, fertilizers, and Ukrainian wheat from the Black Sea routes that were closed for almost five months owing to the war.

References: Republic World, The Japan Times