A dispute about a ship full of stolen grain has lifted the veil on a geopolitical reality that has persisted for years but is rarely mentioned in western capitals or noticed by western media: the curiously friendly relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to X to complain that a Panama-flagged ship was preparing to unload 25,000 tonnes of wheat and barley stolen from his country in Haifa, Israel. An investigation by Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz suggests the Panormitis was at least the fifth ship so far this year to carry grain taken from occupied Ukraine to Israel.

“In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability,” Zelenskyy wrote. "This is not — and cannot be — legitimate business. The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.”