Another Israeli company stops future Russian wheat purchases after allegations of buying grain from occupied Ukraine
Haaretz reported that Dizengoff Trading decided to end its Russian wheat purchases after it was implicated in a potential supply chain involving grain looted from Ukraine. The company's move comes amid a growing diplomatic controversy between Kyiv and Jerusalem.
Ukraine recently filed a complaint with the Israeli police against Dizengoff Trading and another company, Zenziper, accusing them of importing Russian grain — some of which, according to Ukrainian authorities, was stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories. The complaint alleges that Dizengoff Trading may have received approximately 43,800 tonnes of Russian-origin grain, including approximately 16,500 tonnes of wheat that could have originated in occupied Ukraine. Ukrainian investigators say the shipments originated from the ports of occupied Berdiansk and Sevastopol, loaded onto the vessels Leonid Pastrikov and Fedor.
According to the investigation, the cargo was then transferred in the northern Black Sea to another ship, Abinsk, which delivered the grain to Israel's port of Haifa on April 12. The complaint identifies Dubai-registered Russian company Strategic Grain Management as the supplier. Satellite images published by Haaretz appear to confirm the presence of the vessels at the relevant ports on the mentioned dates.
Ukraine's complaint is part of a broader campaign to block ships suspected of transporting stolen grain from docking in Israeli ports. As previously reported by Rubryka, after Ukrainian appeals, the company Zenziper announced it would stop shipments, and the vessel in question left Israeli waters.
Now, Dizengoff Trading has declared, "Our company has no future orders for Russian wheat."
"Like other importers in the sector, we were surprised by this information and await instructions from the relevant Israeli authorities. Our company operates according to international standards and holds all necessary documentation," the statement continued.
A Haaretz source in the grain import industry said Israeli companies had become victims of what the insider called "a Russian trap."
Background
Recently, the vessel PANORMITIS arrived at the Israeli port of Haifa with a cargo of grain possibly originating from occupied Ukrainian territories, according to Kateryna Yaresko of the SeaKrime investigative project at the "Myrotvorets" Center. Previously, the ship ABINSK also docked in Haifa with a suspected cargo of wheat stolen by Russian occupiers. Despite Kyiv's warnings about the cargo's dubious origin, Israeli authorities allowed the vessel to unload.
In response, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case, and a Ukrainian court seized the ship and its cargo. Ukraine has formally asked Israel for international legal assistance, requesting the seizure of the grain and steps to prevent the legalization of the stolen resources.
On April 28, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed a note of protest to Israel's ambassador in Kyiv, Michael Brodsky, over the continued import of agricultural products that Ukraine claims were unlawfully exported from occupied territories.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also responded to Israeli officials' suggestion that Ukrainian diplomats were communicating solely on social media, publishing a detailed timeline of its formal diplomatic requests and emphasizing the use of official channels.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has publicly criticized Israel for accepting grain shipments that, according to Ukrainian authorities, likely originated in territories temporarily occupied by Russia and may have been illegally removed. Zelenskyi pledged to impose sanctions on any individuals or entities involved in such trade.
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5 of May 2026
