The Russian merchant ships Mikhail Nenashev, Fedor and Nikolai were spotted in Turkey when they were allegedly transporting “misappropriated goods from occupied Ukraine” to the country’s ports. Yoruk Isik, the author of the Bosphorus Observer blog, wrote about this on his Twitter account.
Based in Astrakhan, the ship "Mikhail Nenashev", according to Ishik, carries wheat from Sevastopol to Iskenderun. Dry cargo ship Fedor crossed the Bosphorus on its way to Sevastopol after delivering corn to Bandyrma. "Nikolai" went through the Bosphorus in transit, transporting corn to Izmir, the blogger writes.
“Shipping from Crimea to Turkish ports continues unhindered and with impunity, contrary to Turkish policy!” Isik writes.
Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, produces little wheat due to the lack of a developed irrigation system and lack of water, which was previously supplied to the peninsula by Ukraine through the North Crimean Canal. It was closed in 2014. But in the Ukrainian territories north of Crimea, millions of tons of wheat are annually harvested, which is exported.
After the capture of southern Ukraine by Russian troops, journalists noticed that the export of wheat from Sevastopol increased sharply: in March and April it amounted to 100,000 tons. Currently, thousands of tons of wheat are being transported by truck to Crimea, according to Ukrainian authorities. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, at least 400,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have been stolen and exported since the beginning of the Russian invasion. According to Ukrainian intelligence, beets, potatoes and cabbage are also exported from Ukraine in large volumes.
Experts note that the world is extremely interested in Ukrainian grain, even if it has to be bought through smuggling, for example, through Syria. The poorest countries will suffer the most from food shortages. “Cargoes still reach Africa and the Middle East, but the problem is that the price of grain has risen too much. In Egypt, 70% of the population is on a program to subsidize bread, which is now sold there for a penny. Their situation is not easy,” Andrey Sizov, director of the SovEcon Analytical Center, told The Insider.
