ISTANBUL/MOSCOW — Escalating attacks on commercial shipping, ports, and grain terminals across the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov are severely disrupting grain exports from both Russia and Ukraine, stoking renewed fears of global food insecurity.
The intensified exchanges come at a critical time during the region’s agricultural harvest season. Russia remains the world’s largest wheat exporter, while Ukraine—long regarded as Europe’s breadbasket—expects to produce 81 million metric tons of grain and oilseeds this year, with agriculture making up roughly 60% of its total exports.
According to Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry, maritime safety in the area has rapidly deteriorated. Last month alone saw 35 attacks on ships in ports, 22 strikes on vessels at sea, and 67 strikes on port facilities—a stark escalation compared to 14 total attacks on ships in Ukrainian ports throughout all of last year. The increased barrage targeted major export hubs including Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny, causing commercial traffic out of the area to largely ground to a halt since late July.
“Shipowners have temporarily suspended sending vessels to the country’s Black Sea ports to load agricultural products,” said Taras Vysotskyi, Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Minister. He cautioned that land and river export alternatives, even at peak capacity, cannot accommodate even half of the volumes typically handled by Black Sea ports. Shipping giants such as Danish carrier Maersk have already begun rerouting cargo services to Romania’s port of Constanta.
Simultaneously, Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian coastal infrastructure have hampered activity along the Sea of Azov and major Russian export ports. Operations at Taman port have faced movement restrictions, while loading at Novorossiysk and Tuapse has slowed under heightened security protocols. Industry groups like the Rusgrain Union have warned that persistent threats could force the complete closure of vital maritime trade corridors.
Both Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilian vessels, claiming their strikes exclusively hit targets serving military purposes. However, the United Nations and the World Food Programme warned that further disruptions will directly deepen food insecurity worldwide, with the greatest supply pressures falling on import-reliant nations in Africa and the Middle East.–News Desk