There has been conflicting information recently circulated on social media about a grain-laden Syrian ship that Ukraine claims Russia stole from its territories.
Some Twitter users supported the Ukrainian narrative that accused Russia of stealing grain from its occupied territories, while others supported the Syrian and Russian denial.
Syrian Laodicea Docks in Tripoli, Lebanon
Upon receiving reports that the grain on board the Syrian ship had been plundered by Russian forces, the Lebanese government suspended the ship in Tripoli's port for 72 hours pending an investigation.
As the Ukrainian Embassy urged the Lebanese government to reconsider its decision to release the ship, the Lebanese judge lifted the seizure order on Wednesday night, and the ship left Lebanon on Thursday for Tartus, Syria.
Laodicea is one of three Syrian ships sanctioned by the U.S. since 2015, in addition to other sanctions imposed on Syria.
Ukraine Accuses Russia of Stealing Grain
The Ukrainian Embassy in Beirut, on the other hand, claimed that Russian forces had taken the grain transported by the Laodicea ship and two other ships from Ukraine.
Ukraine's Security Service alleged that Russia stole 650,000 tons of grain worth $200 million from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia used 15 ships, including Syrian-registered ships, to transport the grain.
Syria and Russia Deny Ukraine Allegations
The Syrian Ministry of Transport announced the Laodicea's arrival at the Tartus port on Thursday, August 4, explaining that the ship delivered some flour supplies to Lebanese trading companies before proceeding to the port of Tartus to unload its remaining cargo.
Russia has denied Ukrainian allegations through its embassy in Lebanon, stating that its forces did not steal grain from Ukraine and that it was unaware of the shipment.
BBC Reports Russia’s Theft of Ukrainian Grain
The BBC published a report on the incident, which contained evidence confirming Ukraine's allegations and proving that Russia was stealing grain and other products from Ukrainian farmers in Russian-occupied territories. The BBC's evidence relied on local farmers' testimonies, satellite image analysis, and shipping data that tracked where the grain was going.
The BBC obtained several testimonies from local farmers, one of whom confirmed that Russia had stolen their grain and destroyed their premises and equipment and that Russia had occupied and stolen grain from 80 percent of his agricultural land on an industrial scale.
The BBC analyzed satellite images of trucks stopping near a grain storage site in the Crimean town of Oktyabrske, and because some trucks were equipped with GPS, the BBC was able to determine the destination of the trucks, which turned out to be going to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Trucks stopped near a storage facility in Oktyabrske, next to a rail line that could transport grain into Russia or to ports in southern Crimea.
BBC has also obtained Russian documents listing the farms to which the grain will be transported and a report that Russians are forcing Ukrainian farmers to sell grain at a much lower price than the market rate.
Misbar's sources
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