Ukrainian claimed ship likely stole grain off Syria

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Grain stolen from territory seized by Russia, according to satellite imagery analyzed by the Russian Associated Press on Thursday. The cargo ship, which Ukraine claims holds

SV Konstantin's arrival marks the latest shipment of Ukrainian grain to reach Syria, whether legally purchased or looted. Another Lazoni recently docked entirely with legally purchased Ukrainian corn as part of a UN-led effort to bring Ukrainian food from war zones to a hungry world.

Constantine's arrival also marked the arrival of President Bashar al-Assad in his own country's long-running war in this Mediterranean port where Damascus hosts Russian warships and is an important Russian-run port. reliance on Russia to maintain its power. grain silo.

According to her MarineTraffic.com vessel tracking data analyzed by AP, Konstantin sailed from the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula in the Black Sea around 6 July.

The ship was loading Ukrainian grain in Sevastopol, Lebanon's ambassador to Ukraine, Ihor Ostash, said in an interview with Espresso TV. Ukrainian officials say the Crimean port city has previously seen Russian troops trucking grain from occupied territories.

The Constantine crossed the Bosphorus and arrived at Izmir, a Turkish city on the Aegean Sea. The ship then made its way to the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of Cyprus, where it switched off its automatic identification system tracker on Sunday. A vessel should keep her AIS tracker on, but vessels wishing to hide their movements often turn it off. People heading to Syrian ports do so on a daily basis.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by AP shows Constantine off Tartus on Tuesday and Wednesday. The ship's length, width, and appearance resemble previous Planet Labs images of the ship taken at a time corresponding to when the AIS tracker was still north of Cyprus.

His Yoruk Isik, a part-time researcher at the Washington-based Middle East Institute who monitors ships passing through the Bosphorus, is tracking Konstantin. He and other open-source intelligence analysts first said they believed the ship was also off Tartus, based on satellite imagery.

Tartus port officials could not be reached for comment. The Syrian Mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.

is exempt from food supplies. Already in May, satellite images showed the Russian-flagged Matros Pozinic at a dock in Latakia, Syria. Ukraine said the ship had 27,000 tons of grain stolen by Russia and initially tried to sell it to Egypt, but Egypt refused to accept the cargo.

Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea is located approximately 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of Syria's capital, Damascus. Russia has a Soviet-era naval base there, the only one outside the former Soviet Union.

In 2017, Moscow struck a deal with the Assad regime to extend Tartus' lease for her 49 years. The agreement allows Russia to station up to 11 warships, including nuclear warships. Satellite imagery this week showed at least two of her Russian submarines and other warships in port.

The port is operated by Stroytransgaz, a Russian company owned by billionaire oligarch Gennady Timchenko through the Volga Group investment firm. Timchenko, a billionaire close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is subject to European Union sanctions. Stroytransgas of the United States did not respond to a request for comment.

-

His AP writer from Beirut, Kareem Chehayeb, contributed to this report.

-