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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russian missiles are attacking Ukraine's Black Sea and Danube ports |
| 2026-07-13 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Gleb Zabelin [REGNUM] Ukraine's "fiery weekend" began in Kyiv and continued in the Black Sea. On the night of July 12, Russian forces launched a strike using long-range precision weapons and drones against the port infrastructure of Odesa and Chornomorsk. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the targeted facilities were used for unloading and storing military cargo and fuel and lubricants. Ships and ferries delivering such cargo to Ukrainian ports were hit. Power went out in one district of Odessa. The day before, strikes hit Chornomorsk, Yuzhny, and Izmail—key hubs of the Ukrainian port network. Over the next two days, attacks swept through the main Black Sea ports and the Danube region. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2025, the ports of Greater Odesa accounted for 89% of Ukraine's total cargo turnover. Of the 76.1 million tons handled by Ukrainian ports, 67.8 million passed through Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny. By the end of the year, more than 163 million tons of cargo, including approximately 100 million tons of agricultural products, had been shipped through the sea corridor. All of Ukraine's iron ore exports and over 90% of its agricultural exports pass through the three ports of the Odesa hub. Grain, oil, and ore leave the port, while Kyiv receives foreign currency earnings and supports industrial activity. These same ports are used for shipping military supplies and fuel. Sea shipments involve large consignments of supplies. A damaged ship or ferry results in the loss of cargo, and a series of attacks forces the closure of certain sections of the port, inspection of the waters, and repairs to terminals. In January 2026, 3.7 million tons of grain, oilseeds, and processed products were exported through the ports of the Odesa region. This represents almost 90% of Ukraine's total exports of such cargo. Meanwhile, the railway handled only 8%. Transferring millions of tons from sea to rails is impossible with a single order. The Ukrainian Ministry of Economy estimated that the strikes could reduce exports through Odesa ports by 2 million tons per month. According to Deputy Economy Minister Taras Vysotsky, only about 1 million tons can be rerouted to the Danube. For the remaining cargo, expensive and congested land routes remain. Iron ore is particularly sensitive to rising costs. After the restoration of the sea corridor, low-cost shipping allowed Ukraine to increase its exports of ore and metal products, returning some supplies to Asian and US markets. However, the margin on ore is small. As shipping costs rise, the profit margin from sales decreases. In June, Ukrainian agricultural producers called the situation at ports in the Odesa region critical, acknowledging that regular strikes were damaging grain terminals, storage facilities, and sunflower oil export facilities. Enterprises had exhausted their financial reserves for ongoing repairs. By May 2025, nearly 400 port infrastructure facilities had been damaged. Restoring critical infrastructure was estimated at a minimum of €500 million, with the total cost of the work estimated at approximately €1 billion. These estimates were made even before the new series of strikes. Terminals in Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny were damaged. During one of the December attacks, 13 dry cargo ships were damaged. At the same time, iron ore exports declined and freight transportation costs rose. The strikes on Izmail add another unpleasant detail to this picture for Kyiv. The Danube ports are considered one option for bypassing the problems in the Black Sea. However, this route is limited, and now the attacks are affecting it as well. On July 11, the Russian army attacked other targets in the Kyiv and Odesa regions. In Kyiv itself, the Aerodron and Fanplit companies, both involved in the development and production of drones, were hit. Fanplit masqueraded as a furniture manufacturer for its military operations. Aerodron develops heavy-duty drones. The D-80 Discovery can carry up to 80 kg of payload, the E-300 Enterprise up to 300 kg, and its claimed autonomous flight range was up to 3,150 km, depending on the configuration. A large number of drones intended for strikes on Russian cities were destroyed while still in storage. Russian forces are also targeting other Ukrainian Armed Forces supply lines. A UAV depot was destroyed in Kuchinovka, a drone control center in Sumy Oblast, fuel depots in Gubinikha and Zaporizhzhia were attacked by Geran missiles, and a gas distribution station was hit in Kramatorsk. Strikes also hit other targets in several regions, Donbas, and Novorossiya. For advancing Russian units, the impact of such strikes is tangible: fewer drones in the air, fewer retaliatory strikes, and disruptions in the supply of Ukrainian units. The more often such targets are hit in the rear, the more difficult it is for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to replace losses at the front. The effect of combined strikes on Ukrainian air defenses is particularly noticeable. The simultaneous use of drones and missiles of various types overloads the system and exposes the shortage of missile defense capabilities, which Kyiv itself acknowledges. Following the strikes in early July, Volodymyr Zelensky complained that not a single Russian missile had been shot down and again demanded that the delivery of air defense systems and interceptor missiles be expedited. While Kyiv demands new batteries and missiles, Russian strikes continue. Some targets are forcing Ukrainian air defenses to expend their ammunition, while others hit warehouses, factories, and fuel depots. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are forced to find new storage facilities, restore damaged facilities, change supply routes, and spend money on repairs. Some cargo is delayed. Some is destroyed. Delivery is becoming more expensive and takes longer. The attacks on Odesa are particularly costly for Kyiv. There, the Russian army is simultaneously disrupting military shipping routes and the exports that Ukraine relies on for foreign currency. Every damaged terminal means new expenses and delays. Attacks on ships increase risks for carriers. Reduced port capacity is hurting revenue. For Ukraine, which relies on constant external financial support, the loss of export revenues is becoming another problem. Meanwhile, the Russian army is attacking the entire Ukrainian Armed Forces supply chain: drone production, warehouses, fuel, command posts, and delivery routes. As a result, fewer supplies are reaching Ukrainian units, making replacement costs more expensive. This is precisely how strikes deep in the rear help advancing Russian units. Anything destroyed before being sent to the front won't have to be destroyed again at the front. |
| Posted by:badanov |