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Russia denies grain ship detained in Turkiye

July 6, 2022 at 12:15 pm

The Russian-flagged cargo ship ‘Zhibek Zholy’ is anchored on July 5, 2022 at black sea coast of Karasu district in Sakarya [OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images]

Russia’s Foreign Ministry today said that reports the Russian-flagged cargo ship Zhibek Zholy was detained in the Turkish port of Karasu on suspicion of carrying stolen Ukrainian grain are false, Reuters reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said today the 7,146 deadweight tonnage Zhibek Zholy, which Ukrainian authorities have said is carrying grain from the occupied port of Berdyansk, was “undergoing standard procedures”.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkiye said on Sunday that Turkish authorities had detained the Zhibek Zholy. Reuters previously reported that Ukraine had asked Turkiye to arrest the ship.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of stealing grain from the territories that Russian forces have seized since their invasion began in late February. The Kremlin has previously denied that Russia has stolen any Ukrainian grain.

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