Ukraine's attacks are set to blockade Russian shipping in Sea of Azov - CNN
Photo: A tanker from Russia's shadow fleet (Getty Images)
A series of Ukrainian attacks this week forced Russia to suspend traffic through a key waterway, limiting the Kremlin's ability to trade with the rest of the world, CNN reports.
Russia loses ground in the Sea of Azov
For years, the Sea of Azov was beyond Ukraine's reach, providing Russia with a convenient staging area for military operations and a vital link between southern Russia and global shipping routes, the outlet writes.
However, Ukrainian drones have changed the situation. On July 15, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, reported significant successes. According to him, Ukrainian drone operators struck 116 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov over the past nine days.
Ukraine's relentless attacks have forced Russia to suspend traffic through the Sea of Azov.
Two key chokepoints have been closed:
- The Don-Azov Canal, which connects the sea to Russia's inland waterways;
- The Kerch Strait, which links the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.
Ukraine has been targeting Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers carrying sanctioned fuel. However, the disruption of shipping in the Sea of Azov could have broader consequences for exports that are not subject to sanctions, including wheat and sunflower oil.
New phase in isolating occupied Crimea
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's strikes in the Sea of Azov "represent a new phase in Ukraine’s efforts to isolate occupied Crimea from the Russian logistics network and to disrupt Russian seaborne shipping routes, especially for petroleum products and grain."
According to the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, Russia accounts for roughly 20% of global grain exports.
Andrey Sizov, a leading analyst of Black Sea agricultural markets, said that around 25% of Russia's wheat exports are shipped through the Sea of Azov.
Wheat prices rise
Wheat futures prices have climbed in recent days, partly due to the disruption in the Sea of Azov, CNN reports.
Russia claims it can redirect all of its grain exports through other terminals on the Black Sea. However, Sizov said that would be impossible during the peak export season.
Russia accuses Ukraine of 'terrorism'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Kyiv's campaign in the Sea of Azov "goes beyond even piracy."
"Pirates at least rob and keep the loot for themselves. But here, it is a case of 'neither for themselves nor for others' – the goal is simply to cause damage and intimidate. It is terrorism," he claimed.
Ukraine says it deliberately targets only military objectives.
On July 13 alone, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck or destroyed 1,559 unique Russian military targets, including 15 vessels. The force also reported killing or wounding 311 Russian troops.
On July 12, the Unmanned Systems Forces carried out a successful overnight operation, hitting 14 Russian vessels in a single night. Ukrainian drone operators conducted precision strikes in the Sea of Azov and near occupied Crimea.
