Stolen Ukrainian grain is transported by 87 vessels – ambassador

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — WEDNESDAY, 10 AUGUST 2022, 15:42

87 vessels are transporting grain stolen by the Russian occupants from Ukraine.

Source: Ihor Ostash, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Lebanon, during a briefing at the Ukraine media centre on 10 August.

Quote: "There is a criminal system that constantly transports stolen grain from Ukraine. It could be through Turkey, it could be directly to Syria, it could be to other countries in the Middle East. 

But this is such a criminal organisation in which, of course, the Russians, the occupation troops of Russia in Ukraine, participate. Of course, mainly Syrian and Russian vessels, and not only."

Details: According to the ambassador, it is very important to refer to international maritime law because almost all the time these vessels that are loaded in Crimea and follow such criminal routes turn off their AIS, transponders and beacons. They do so to become "invisible".

In other words, it signals illegal work and illegal business, when there is an attempt to hide something, to avoid responsibility.

"Therefore, there is obviously a proposal to seriously work out all these rules that exist within the framework of the International Maritime Organisation, in order to try to put certain obstacles here," Ostash emphasised.

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