Wheat cultivation in the Russian region of Rostov: It is shipped across the Sea of Azov. (archive image)Image: Imago
Ukraine attacks dozens of Russian cargo ships in the Sea of Azov. This has consequences for an important export good for Russia.
July 17, 2026, 01:55July 17, 2026, 02:22
Thomas Wanhoff / t-online
Ukraine has been increasingly attacking Russian ships in the Sea of Azov for days. But it’s not just about shadow fleet oil tankers, warships and freighters. More than 116 Russian ships have already been targeted by the Ukrainian military; it is unclear how severe the damage is. But the attacks don’t just affect the ships themselves.
Data from shipping tracker “Marinetraffic” shows that things have become calm in the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian attacks have forced Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, to restrict shipping traffic, Reuters news agency reports.
The American Institute for War Studies (ISW) wrote in its daily situation report that the Ukrainian attacks in the Sea of Azov “represent a new phase in Ukraine’s efforts to isolate occupied Crimea from the Russian logistics network and disrupt Russian sea transport routes, particularly for petroleum products and grain.”
Russia is one of the world’s largest wheat exporters, with almost a fifth of global exports coming from Russia, says the US Department of Agriculture. For this year, the authority expects production of 88.5 million tons, almost half of which is destined for export.
And a quarter of the wheat is shipped through the Sea of Azov and then into the Black Sea, analyst Andrey Sizov told US broadcaster CNN. “The Black Sea is as important to the wheat market as the Persian Gulf is to the crude oil market. The Black Sea is by far the largest supplier of wheat to the world market,” he said, adding that Russia’s economic losses could amount to billions of dollars if the situation continues.
Sea of Azov has an important meaning
Although the Sea of Azov is relatively small and shallow, it plays a crucial role in the Russian economy. It is an important link in a vast system of inland rivers and canals that transport oil, grain, crops, steel and other raw materials from much of southern Russia to the Black Sea and from there to the rest of the world.
Prices for wheat futures have risen sharply on the world market in recent days, probably also because of the attacks in the Sea of Azov. On Wednesday, European wheat prices rose by seven percent. Russia is apparently trying to use other ports on the Black Sea. But analyst Sizov is skeptical: “During the high season these reach their limits.”
Russia attacks wheat ships
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the Ukrainian attacks as piracy on Wednesday. “Pirates at least rob and keep the loot for themselves. Here, however, the motto is ‘neither for yourself nor for others’ – the aim is simply to cause harm and intimidate. This is terrorism,” he said.
Russia is playing the same game. Cargo ships in the port of Odessa have been attacked by Russian drones and missiles for years. As Euromaidan reports, Russian Geran drones recently attacked Ukrainian wheat ships while they were still in port. There was a wave of attacks by cheap drones on or around July 12th in the port of Chornomorsk, not far from Odessa. Chornomorsk is one of three ports through which most of Ukraine’s grain reaches the market.
Egypt, Algeria and Indonesia bought 62 percent of Ukrainian wheat last season – Egypt alone took more than a quarter of it. Like Russia, Ukraine is a large wheat producer, but harvest revenues have fallen by almost half since the start of the war, reports broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Attacks on wheat freighters are controversial. Because these ships are not military targets. While it can still be argued that oil tankers bring fuel for the military, it is more difficult with wheat. The agricultural product is important for the civilian population, both at home and in the global purchasing countries. Ukraine has so far spoken of only attacking military targets. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) condemns attacks on grain ships. “I condemn last week’s series of attacks on civilian merchant vessels sailing in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea,” IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement on Monday.