Russia and Ukraine attacked each other's key grain export gateways overnight into Saturday, disrupting shipping across the Sea of Azov and sending wheat prices sharply higher. The exchange followed a Russian strike on the region the previous day that had already interrupted a key export corridor.
Ukrainian drones targeted four vessels in Taganrog Bay, including a methanol tanker, killing one sailor aboard one of the ships, according to Rostov region governor Yuri Slyusar. A Ukrainian drone unit commander known as Madyar said the overall overnight tally reached 28 Russian vessels struck in the Sea of Azov, with 76 hit since July 6, though the figure could not be independently verified.
Russia responded by temporarily halting shipping through the Don to Azov Channel and closing the Kerch Strait, the waterway connecting the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, from Friday evening. Russian forces also launched 120 drones and 12 missiles across Ukraine overnight, striking Kyiv and hitting the Odesa region, including the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Izmail on the Danube.
Odesa and Chornomorsk are central hubs for Ukrainian grain shipments, and Izmail has grown into a critical Danube export gateway since Russia's full scale invasion redrew traditional trade routes. Odesa regional officials reported cruise missile strikes on port infrastructure, and Russia's Defense Ministry said it faced 178 Ukrainian drones overnight across the Black and Azov sea areas.
The tankers operating out of the Sea of Azov mostly move petroleum products to Russian occupied Crimea, where fuel shortages have become a summer fixture, rather than crude oil bound for export. Even so, the tit for tat strikes on port infrastructure highlight how quickly agricultural and energy shipping in the Black Sea basin can be disrupted, with wheat traders already pricing in fresh corridor risk.