From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Report: Israel tells Ukraine it’s too late to detain Russian grain ship that docked in Haifa
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleStav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel
Israel has told Ukraine it is too late to act against a Russian vessel accused of carrying stolen Ukrainian grain, as the ship has already departed Haifa Port, Barak Ravid of Channel 12 and Axios reports.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar reportedly sent a message to his Ukrainian counterpart saying the vessel can no longer be detained. Ravid says Israel had been aware of it two weeks before it arrived.
Senior Ukrainian officials tell Ravid they made clear to Israel they were demanding the confiscation of the wheat cargo.
The development comes after Ukraine on Tuesday accused Israel of allowing the Russian ship ABINSK –- allegedly loaded with grain taken from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory — to dock in Haifa.
Kyiv had urged Israel to block the vessel before it docked, with Ukrainian Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk raising the issue with Israeli officials and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha discussing it directly with Sa’ar.
The Times of Israel Community.