Ukraine submits formal legal request to Israel for seizure of suspected stolen grain ship Panormitis

Ukraine rejects Israel’s "Twitter diplomacy" claims, submitting a formal legal request to arrest the Panormitis vessel over alleged stolen grain in Haifa.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 29, 2026, 9:47 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Times of Israel

Escalation of Maritime Diplomacy in Haifa

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha issued a forceful clarification on April 29, 2026, stating that Kyiv has formally engaged Israel through both diplomatic and legal avenues to prevent the offloading of agricultural products at the port of Haifa. The dispute centers on the Panormitis, a vessel Ukraine alleges is transporting grain illegally extracted from territories currently under Russian occupation. Sybiha’s announcement is intended to counter recent narratives suggesting that Ukraine was bypassing traditional international legal protocols in favor of public pressure campaigns.

Rejection of Twitter Diplomacy Allegations

The diplomatic rift widened after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized the Ukrainian leadership for what he termed Twitter diplomacy. Sa’ar previously contended that despite vocal accusations from President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media, the Israeli government had received no formal request for legal assistance nor any credible evidence that the cargo was stolen. Sybiha pointedly rejected this characterization, asserting that a concrete request for international legal assistance has indeed been lodged and necessitates a formal administrative response rather than what he described as emotional public statements.

The Role of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General

The legal foundation for the request rests on a recent ruling by a Ukrainian court, which ordered the arrest of the Panormitis as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the illicit export of resources. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has forwarded this judicial order to Israeli authorities, requesting the seizure of the vessel and its cargo. Ukrainian officials maintain that allowing the ship to dock would constitute a violation of both international maritime law and domestic Ukrainian legislation, placing a significant legal burden on Israel’s port authorities to verify the ship's manifest.