Ukrainian cereals: Russian freighter Zhibek Zholy entered Russia

A new stage in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The Russian freighter Zhibek Zholy, accused by kyiv of being loaded with stolen Ukrainian wheat, entered Russian territorial waters after leaving the Turkish coast where it had been anchored for six days, a senior Turkish official told AFP on Thursday. .

“He entered Russian territorial waters, but did not approach the port”, detailed this anonymous source.

The Zhibek Zholy had been immobilized since Friday, according to the Marine Traffic site, in the bay of the port of Karasu, on the Black Sea.

It had emitted its last signal about twenty kilometers from the coast, according to this site which allows you to follow maritime traffic live.

Read alsoUkraine: 5 minutes to understand the looting of wheat denounced by Westerners

“We regret that the Russian ship Zhibek Zholy, loaded with stolen Ukrainian grain, was allowed to leave the port of Karasu despite the evidence (…) presented to the Turkish authorities”, had tweeted the spokesperson for the Ukrainian diplomacy, Oleg Nikolenko, before adding that the Turkish ambassador would be invited “to clarify this unacceptable situation.

A Turkish diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that the Turkish ambassador to kyiv had been "summoned".

7000 tonnes of grain obtained illegally

The Turkish news agency DHA defended itself by saying that the cargo ship cut off its transponder, a device used to track ships at sea. A member of NATO, Turkey is considered an ally of Ukraine to which it provides combat drones, but it takes care to maintain a neutral position towards Russia, on which it depends for its gas supplies in particular.

Ukraine, which accuses Russia of stealing its wheat crops, says the Zhibek Zholy, which left the Ukrainian port of Berdiansk under Russian occupation last Thursday, is loaded with 7,000 tonnes of grain obtained illegally.