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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
At least five grain-carrying vessels were attacked near Russia's Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk and Tuapse. The attacks occurred as Russia officially abandoned a ceasefire in the Black Sea, and both sides continue striking each other's merchant ships. Moscow has been trying for weeks to sustain grain exports amid increasingly frequent Ukrainian strikes. Wheat from Russia and Ukraine together account for more than a quarter of the world’s export, and the attacks hit during the height of this year’s harvest.
According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter reported the attacks on ships. The outlet notes that Russia and Ukraine have mutually intensified strikes on commercial vessels and port infrastructure in the Black Sea, raising concerns about global grain supplies.
Bloomberg emphasizes that the attacks on grain carriers occurred precisely in the middle of this year’s harvest season, when transport volumes traditionally rise. This heightens risks for an already volatile food market, since Russia and Ukraine together supply over a quarter of the world’s wheat exports.
Why the struggle for the Black Sea ports has intensified
The situation around Novorossiysk worsened earlier in August, when Ukraine launched a massive drone and missile strike against the city’s naval base and grain terminals. Three of the port’s largest grain terminals were damaged, and a collapse of a load gallery at one of them made grain shipments practically impossible due to severe infrastructure damage. There were later additional attacks there.
Russia is trying to offset the losses by continuing shipments through Novorossiysk and Tuapse, but the pace has fallen significantly compared with previous years. According to analysts, in August the country may export noticeably less wheat than the five-year average for that month. At the same time, Ukraine’s agricultural authorities forecast that Kyiv’s own agro-export shipments may also decline markedly this marketing year due to ongoing attacks on port infrastructure.
Earlier, Informator reported that a Greek tanker carrying Russian oil was on fire in the Black Sea. The vessel was attacked after loading at a terminal near Novorossiysk, despite the Kyiv–Washington understandings on limiting strikes on non-Russian tankers in this area.
We also wrote that the occupiers hide gasoline in trucks with grain, trying to covertly supply fuel to the temporarily occupied territories due to a shortage caused by Ukrainian strikes on oil infrastructure.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Біля російських портів у Чорному морі атаковано пʼять зерновозів - Bloomberg". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
