Half a Million Tonnes of Grain Lost as Russia Hits Civilian Ships

(ODESA, UKRAINE) – Russia has intensified its campaign to sever Ukraine’s commercial maritime links, launching an unprecedented number of attacks on civilian shipping along the Black Sea coastline. Ukraine’s port administration recorded 57 Russian strikes on commercial vessels last month alone, a frequency and lethality not previously seen.

The attacks have left Ukraine’s once bustling ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi nearly empty of ships. Grain exporters warn the escalation comes at the worst possible time, with the summer harvest in full swing. An industry representative said the country has already lost the ability to deliver between 500,000 and 700,000 metric tonnes of Ukrainian grain to global consumers.

Ukraine has responded with its own maritime offensive, striking approximately 200 Russian vessels using domestically produced drones. The campaign has brought shipping traffic in the strategic Sea of Azov to a virtual standstill, targeting sanctioned tankers carrying oil and vessels supplying Russian occupied Crimea.

A Ukrainian navy patrol unit granted rare access to BBC correspondent Paul Adams revealed the daily reality of the conflict at sea. Crew members fire their weapons every day and remain on constant alert for drones and ballistic missiles, which can arrive with little warning. A naval spokesperson stated, “Every day, we have to rescue crews and take measures to prevent these attacks and reduce their number. We are doing everything we possibly can.”

The human toll extends beyond the water. Svitlana, a port worker in Odesa, has walked with a limp for the past year since a Russian missile exploded nearby, killing two of her colleagues. “It is very difficult. A lot of sirens, a lot of drones, a lot of hits. And for morale, it is even more difficult. People are very tense. What can I say? Look at my hands,” she said.

Andrii Dudyk, an 83 year old resident, survived a jet powered drone strike that shattered his house and garden just five hours before speaking to the BBC. When asked if he considered himself an accidental victim of Russia’s port attacks, he replied, “Absolutely. I will not forget this.”

The reporting by Paul Adams for BBC News at Ten was conducted on condition that the precise location of the naval patrol was not disclosed.