Latest news with #Polishchuk
Arab Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Arab Times
Grain Theft Sparks New Ukraine-EU Diplomatic Pressure on Bangladesh
KYIV, June 27: Ukraine is urging the European Union to sanction Bangladeshi companies accused of importing wheat stolen from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. Despite multiple warnings to Bangladesh, the trade continues, says Ukraine's ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk. Since 2014, Russia has controlled key agricultural regions in southern Ukraine. Kyiv accuses Moscow of stealing grain, a claim Russia denies, calling the lands theirs permanently. Documents obtained by the Associated Press reveal Ukraine's embassy in New Delhi sent several letters to Bangladesh's government this year, flagging over 150,000 tonnes of allegedly stolen grain shipped via Russia's Kavkaz port. Bangladesh has not responded. Polishchuk warns the EU will be asked to act, as intelligence shows Russian traders blend Ukrainian grain with Russian wheat to mask its origin. 'This is a crime,' he said. 'We'll ask our European partners to take appropriate measures.' Bangladesh denies importing stolen wheat, with officials stating they block Russian grain from occupied Ukrainian areas. Meanwhile, the EU says vessels linked to these shipments are not yet sanctioned but could face restrictions if proven to be involved. The grain trade is vital for Ukraine's economy amid war, but Kyiv is cracking down on illegal exports. Recent seizures of foreign ships accused of transporting stolen grain underscore the stakes. A Russian trader admits tracking grain origin is tricky: 'These aren't diamonds or gold — impurities don't reveal their source.'
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Ukraine calls for EU sanctions on Bangladeshi entities for import of ‘stolen grain'
NEW DELHI/DHAKA: Ukraine plans to ask the European Union to sanction Bangladeshi entities it says are importing wheat taken from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, after its warnings to Dhaka failed to stop the trade, a top Ukrainian diplomat in South Asia said. Russian forces have occupied large parts of Ukraine's southern agricultural regions since 2014 and Kyiv has accused Russia of stealing its grain even before the 2022 invasion. Russian officials say there is no theft of grain involved as the territories previously considered part of Ukraine are now part of Russia and will remain so forever. According to documents provided to Reuters by people familiar with the matter, the Ukraine Embassy in New Delhi sent several letters to Bangladesh's foreign affairs ministry this year, asking them to reject more than 150,000 tonnes of grain allegedly stolen and shipped from Russian port of Kavkaz. Asked about the confidential diplomatic communication, Ukraine's ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, said Dhaka had not responded to the communication and Kyiv will now escalate the matter as its intelligence showed entities in Russia mix grain procured from occupied Ukrainian territories with Russian wheat before shipping. 'It's a crime,' Polishchuk said in an interview at Ukraine's embassy in New Delhi. 'We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures.' Ukraine's diplomatic tussle with Bangladeshi authorities has not been previously reported. The Bangladesh and Russian foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment. A Bangladeshi food ministry official said Dhaka bars imports from Russia if the origin of the grain is from occupied Ukrainian territory, adding that the country imports no stolen wheat. Amid the war with Russia, the agricultural sector remains one of the main sources of export earnings for Ukraine, supplying grain, vegetable oil and oilseeds to foreign markets. In April, Ukraine detained a foreign vessel in its territorial waters, alleging it was involved in the illegal trade of stolen grain, and last year seized a foreign cargo ship and detained its captain on similar suspicions. The EU has so far sanctioned 342 ships that are part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, which the bloc says enable Moscow to circumvent Western restrictions to move oil, arms and grain. Russia says Western sanctions are illegal. 'Not diamonds or gold' A Ukraine official told Reuters Ukrainian law prohibits any voluntary trade between Ukrainian producers, including grain farmers in the occupied territories, and Russian entities. The Ukraine Embassy has sent four letters to Bangladesh's government, reviewed by Reuters, in which it shared vessel names and their registration numbers involved in the alleged trade of moving the grain from the Crimean ports of Sevastopol and Kerch, occupied by Russia since 2014, and Berdiansk, which is under Moscow's control since 2022, to Kavkaz in Russia. The letters stated the departure and tentative arrival dates of the ships that left from Kavkaz for Bangladesh between November 2024 and June 2025. The June 11 letter said Bangladesh can face 'serious consequences' of sanctions for taking deliveries of 'stolen grain', and that such purchases fuel 'humanitarian suffering.' The sanctions 'may extend beyond importing companies and could also target government officials and the leadership of ministries and agencies who knowingly facilitate or tolerate such violations,' the letter added. In a statement to Reuters, Anitta Hipper, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the vessels in question were not currently subject to any restrictive measures. The sanctions regime was designed to act against activities that undermine the food security of Ukraine including transportation of 'stolen Ukrainian grain' and 'any proven involvement of vessels in shipping stolen Ukrainian grain could provide the basis for future restrictive measures,' she added. The Russia-controlled territories, excluding Crimea, accounted for about 3% of the total Russian grain harvest in 2024, according to Reuters' estimates based on official Russian data. Russian grain transporter Rusagrotrans says Bangladesh was the fourth largest buyer of Russian wheat in May. Ambassador Polishchuk told Reuters their intelligence shows Russia mixes its grain with that from occupied Ukrainian territories to avoid detection. A Russian trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that when the grain is loaded for export at a Russian port, it is very difficult to track its origin. 'These are not diamonds or gold. The composition of impurities does not allow for identification,' the person said.
The Star
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Ukraine calls for EU sanctions on Bangladeshi entities for import of 'stolen grain'
NEW DELHI/DHAKA (Reuters) -Ukraine plans to ask the European Union to sanction Bangladeshi entities it says are importing wheat taken from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, after its warnings to Dhaka failed to stop the trade, a top Ukrainian diplomat in South Asia said. Russian forces have occupied large parts of Ukraine's southern agricultural regions since 2014 and Kyiv has accused Russia of stealing its grain even before the 2022 invasion. Russian officials say there is no theft of grain involved as the territories previously considered part of Ukraine are now part of Russia and will remain so forever. According to documents provided to Reuters by people familiar with the matter, the Ukraine Embassy in New Delhi sent several letters to Bangladesh's foreign affairs ministry this year, asking them to reject more than 150,000 tonnes of grain allegedly stolen and shipped from Russian port of Kavkaz. Asked about the confidential diplomatic communication, Ukraine's ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, said Dhaka had not responded to the communication and Kyiv will now escalate the matter as its intelligence showed entities in Russia mix grain procured from occupied Ukrainian territories with Russian wheat before shipping. "It's a crime," Polishchuk said in an interview at Ukraine's embassy in New Delhi. "We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures." Ukraine's diplomatic tussle with Bangladeshi authorities has not been previously reported. The Bangladesh and Russian foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment. A Bangladeshi food ministry official said Dhaka bars imports from Russia if the origin of the grain is from occupied Ukrainian territory, adding that the country imports no stolen wheat. Amid the war with Russia, the agricultural sector remains one of the main sources of export earnings for Ukraine, supplying grain, vegetable oil and oilseeds to foreign markets. In April, Ukraine detained a foreign vessel in its territorial waters, alleging it was involved in the illegal trade of stolen grain, and last year seized a foreign cargo ship and detained its captain on similar suspicions. The EU has so far sanctioned 342 ships that are part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, which the bloc says enable Moscow to circumvent Western restrictions to move oil, arms and grain. Russia says Western sanctions are illegal. 'NOT DIAMONDS OR GOLD' A Ukraine official told Reuters Ukrainian law prohibits any voluntary trade between Ukrainian producers, including grain farmers in the occupied territories, and Russian entities. The Ukraine Embassy has sent four letters to Bangladesh's government, reviewed by Reuters, in which it shared vessel names and their registration numbers involved in the alleged trade of moving the grain from the Crimean ports of Sevastopol and Kerch, occupied by Russia since 2014, and Berdiansk, which is under Moscow's control since 2022, to Kavkaz in Russia. The letters stated the departure and tentative arrival dates of the ships that left from Kavkaz for Bangladesh between November 2024 and June 2025. The June 11 letter said Bangladesh can face "serious consequences" of sanctions for taking deliveries of "stolen grain", and that such purchases fuel "humanitarian suffering." The sanctions "may extend beyond importing companies and could also target government officials and the leadership of ministries and agencies who knowingly facilitate or tolerate such violations," the letter added. In a statement to Reuters, Anitta Hipper, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the vessels in question were not currently subject to any restrictive measures. The sanctions regime was designed to act against activities that undermine the food security of Ukraine including transportation of "stolen Ukrainian grain" and "any proven involvement of vessels in shipping stolen Ukrainian grain could provide the basis for future restrictive measures," she added. The Russia-controlled territories, excluding Crimea, accounted for about 3% of the total Russian grain harvest in 2024, according to Reuters' estimates based on official Russian grain transporterRusagrotranssays Bangladesh was the fourth largest buyer of Russian wheat in May. Ambassador Polishchuk told Reuters their intelligence shows Russia mixes its grain with that from occupied Ukrainian territories to avoid detection. A Russian trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that when the grain is loaded for export at a Russian port, it is very difficult to track its origin. "These are not diamonds or gold. The composition of impurities does not allow for identification," the person said. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Additional reporting by Moscow bureau, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv, Julia Payne in Brussels; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Explosions heard in Ivano-Frankivsk and Volyn oblasts
Explosions were heard during an air-raid in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and in the city of Lutsk in Volyn Oblast on the morning of Thursday 15 May, with air defence systems responding. Source: Suspilne. Ivano-Frankivsk; Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv; Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk; голвоа Івано-Франківської ОВА Svitlana Onyshchuk, Head of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Military Administration Details: According to reports, explosions were heard in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Martsinkiv reported that air defence had been responding. An air-raid warning in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast was issued at 04:41 due to the threat of Russian attack drones. At 05:32, 05:47 and 05:52, Suspilne. Ivano-Frankivsk reported more explosions. Updated: At 06:01, Polishchuk reported explosions in Lutsk, where air defence had also been responding. At 06:12, Polishchuk wrote that "another UAV is approaching Lutsk". Several explosions were heard right after his message. At 06:26, the all-clear was given in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Onyshchuk stated that the Russians had attacked the oblast from different directions. She said that "there were no casualties". The all-clear in Volyn Oblast was given at 06:25. But at 06:40 an air-raid warning was issued again. At 07:04, Polishchuk reported that there was "another UAV very close to Lutsk". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Russian Missile Blew Apart These Kyiv Apartments, and a Decades-Old Community
Oleksandr Polishchuk knows suffering more than most. He lost friends after joining the Ukrainian Army in 2015 when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine. He lost his first wife to the pandemic. In 2022, shortly after the Russians launched their full-scale invasion, he was captured and lost his freedom for 100 days. As a prisoner of war in the damp, dark basement of a makeshift prison in a former shoe factory, he lost part of his eyesight. But Mr. Polishchuk also knows how to cope. He remarried and had a daughter. He went to work at a recycling center. When air-raid sirens woke the family early Thursday morning, Mr. Polishchuk threw on his robe, wrapped his 2-year-old in a blanket and ran for the basement. He had done this almost every night of her life, after every siren. This time, he never made it. The missile hit before Mr. Polishchuk could get there, leaving him clutching his toddler in a pile of rubble, both alive. The weapon, which Ukrainian authorities say was manufactured by North Korea, had slammed into the balcony where, just days before, the family was grilling marinated pork cutlets to celebrate the 44th birthday of Mr. Polishchuk's wife, Anna Polishchuk. The explosion killed 13 people and injured almost 90, the deadliest attack in the capital, Kyiv, since last summer. For this article, The New York Times talked to more than a dozen family members, neighbors and friends of the victims, a tight-knit, decades-old community now blown apart. The building was constructed during World War II, and the people who lived there were as much family as neighbors. Its residents were given their apartments during Soviet times. Most of them stayed for decades. Children grew up and left and came back. Elders died. Other relatives moved in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
