Russian ship carrying over 30,000 tonnes of 'stolen grain' from Ukraine reaches Syria

As the brutal Russian war in Ukraine entered day 96, new satellite images revealed that a Russian Matros Pozynich carrier on Sunday arrived at the Syrian port with a bulk load of food grains, allegedly stolen from the war-torn country. Videos and photos by Maxar Technologies, accessed by CNN, showed that the massive vessel docked at the Syrian coast of Latakia on May 27, making it the second such freighter in four weeks. This comes after Kyiv last week accused Russian invaders of "gradually stealing" at least 40,000 metric tonnes of food grain from occupied territories.

According to reports, the said vessel was one of the two ships that loaded its stock from the Crimean port of Sevastopol since Moscow began its "military operation" with an aim to "denazify" Ukraine. The ship was seen docked next to what appeared to be silos with grains pouring off of a belt into an open hold. As per Marinetraffic.com the vessel left the port on May 19 sailing through the Aegean Sea and was subsequently tracked across Bosphorus Strait along the Turkish coast before it arrived at the Syrian port of Latakia on May 29. It was initially believed to have set a course for Beirut.

Matros Pozynich has reportedly carried out a similar mission earlier bound for Egypt. However, it was turned away from Alexandria after warnings and was barred entry to Beirut. Eventually, the ship docked at Latakia, where Moscow shared a cordial relationship with the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Russian agression triggering a global food crisis

Among the repercussions of the Russian war, the global food crisis remained an overarching one as both Ukraine and Russia are two global leaders in producing food grains. Both countries are responsible for at least 30% of total wheat supplies across the world. As the all-out war intensified, Moscow has for over months now blockaded the Ukrainian Black Sea coast, which is a vital export point. The disruption of urgent transit has "generated one of the most severe food and energy crises in recent history," said G7 Foreign Ministers in a joint statement. Noting the fragility of the market, Zelenskyy also urged world leaders to appeal to Moscow to open the southern ports. Meanwhile, after discussions with German and French counterparts, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly agreed to open the Odesa port, provided Moscow is eased "some" sanctions imposed by the West.

(Image: Maxar Technologies)