Diplomatic crisis between Ukraine and Israel over 'stolen pills'

Ukraine announced that its Israeli ambassador, Mikhail Brodsky, had been summoned to a "reprimand session" on Tuesday morning,   April 28, after Tel Aviv received a Russian grain ship, which Kyiv accused Moscow of "seizing from its territory", in a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Scybia, in a post on the "X" platform, said that "friendly relations between Ukraine and Israel can benefit both countries, and should not be undermined by Russia's illegal trade in stolen Ukrainian grain."

"It is difficult to understand Israel's failure to adequately respond to Ukraine's legitimate request regarding the previous ship that transported stolen goods to Haifa," he added,  adding, "Now, after another ship of this type has arrived in Haifa, we are once again warning Israel against accepting stolen grain and harming our relations."

The Ukrainian minister said: "I have officially summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, to submit a protest note and demand that appropriate measures be taken."

For its part, the Israeli newspaper "Maariv" said  that Kyiv summoned its ambassador to Tel Aviv for a "reprimand session", and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar responded to his Ukrainian counterpart via his account on the "X" platform, saying: "Your Excellency, diplomatic relations, especially between friendly countries, are not managed through Twitter (the old name of the X platform) or in the media."

 "The allegations are not evidence, and no evidence has yet been presented to substantiate these allegations," Sa'ar  said, claiming, "You did not even apply for legal aid before going to the media and social media."

"The matter will be examined," Sa'ar said, claiming that "Israel is a country that adheres to the rule of law and has independent law enforcement authorities."

Earlier, Israel's Channel 12 quoted  an  unnamed high-ranking Ukrainian diplomatic source as saying that the Russian ship "Panoramatis" arrived on Sunday at the port of Haifa, adding: "The ship is carrying wheat stolen from Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia during the ongoing war with Kyiv, and it is now moored outside it in preparation for unloading its cargo."

Ukraine says this is the second time in two weeks that "a Russian ship carrying stolen grain has arrived in Israel," according to the channel.

Investigation: Smuggling of Ukrainian wheat into Israel

An Israeli journalistic investigation has revealed a complex route that Russia relies on to smuggle wheat from Ukrainian areas under its control to the Israeli market, through maritime operations that include transporting shipments at sea and hiding their origin, amid estimates that this trade is being used to finance Russia's war on Ukraine.

According to Haaretz, a Russian cargo ship named "Avinsk" recently docked in the port of Haifa loaded with a shipment of wheat, which the Ukrainian government said was "stolen from occupied territory" and valued at millions of dollars. The incident sparked an official protest from Kyiv, which had previously warned Israel not to allow the vessel in.

The investigation noted that this incident is not exceptional, as navigation data, official documents and satellite images showed that at least two ships loaded with stolen grain arrived in Israel in 2023, in addition to suspicions surrounding the activity of seven other ships believed to have tried to conceal the source of their shipments. Port records in Russian-controlled Ukrainian regions also revealed more than 30 shipments of wheat destined for Israel.

According to informed sources, at least 4 similar shipments have been unloaded  in Israel this year, while another ship is waiting to enter the port of Haifa, reflecting the continuation of these operations.

According to the investigation, the smuggling mechanism relies on what is known as "ship-to-ship" operations, in which grain is transported in the Black Sea away from official ports, often near the Kerch Strait, with ships' tracking devices turned off during loading operations to avoid detection, before later restarting and heading towards its final destination.

The investigation shed light on the route of one of the shipments, where the wheat was transported from the port of Sevastopol in Crimea via a series of ships, including the Matros Pozinić, Grindel and St. Olga, which turned off the tracking device while being loaded at sea before arriving at the port of Ashdod in July 2023, with about 27,000 tons of wheat on board.

The investigation also dealt with the case of the "Sword Lion" ship, which left the port of Haifa without unloading its cargo after raising the issue in the media, before heading to Turkey, where the cargo was unloaded.

Russian official documents showed that at least 120 grain shipments were transported through Crimea's ports during a specific period, including 31 shipments destined for Israel with a total weight of about 90,000 tons.

30,000 Ukrainians live in Israel

Relations between the two sides are based on deep social and historical ties, with about 30,000 Ukrainians residing in Israel, while Ukraine maintains a long-standing Jewish community that has played an important role in the country's history.

Ukraine is the first country outside Israel where a Jewish president and a Jewish prime minister hold office at the same time, which has given a symbolic dimension to bilateral relations, and many Ukrainian cities, such as Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, have twinning agreements with Israeli cities such as Ashdod and Rishon Lezion, reflecting an extensive civic and cultural network.

Relations between Ukraine and Israel have been characterized by constant volatility and diplomatic tension, especially since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, and despite  pressure from Kyiv, Israeli support has been limited to humanitarian and medical aid, while Tel Aviv has refrained from providing Kyiv with air defense systems such as Iron Dome, a decision that has sparked a wide debate about the limits of Israel's role in the war.

Ukraine in June 2025 backed Israeli strikes targeting Iranian sites, calling them "justified" to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, a reference to a rare intersection of interests between Kyiv and Tel Aviv in the face of Iranian influence.