Grain Exports Stall as Ukraine Steps Up Attacks on Russia's Novorossiysk Port

Ukraine's intensified drone attacks on Novorossiysk, Russia's primary commercial Black Sea port, are severely disrupting vital oil and grain shipments, challenging Russian naval dominance in the region. The escalating strikes are making Black Sea exports increasingly difficult for Russia, forcing partial logistical reorganizations.

Novorossiysk, a major export hub since the 19th century, stands as Russia's largest port by cargo volume and a significant European terminal. It handles up to a third of Russia's grain exports and is a key transit point for crude oil, metals, and containerized goods. Recent Ukrainian maritime and aerial drone attacks have crippled operations at several major grain export terminals, including the Novorossiysk Bread Products Plant and KSK, which ceased operations. A terminal in Taman also halted operations earlier, and operations at shallow-water ports in the Sea of Azov were previously paralyzed.

“

We could not allow NATO forces to eventually come to the land of Crimea and Sevastopol, the land of Russian military glory, and cardinally change the balance of forces in the Black Sea area.

As of publication, only Tuapse, the smallest of Russia's deep-water grain terminals, remained operational. This situation effectively blocks nearly all Russian grain exports via the Azov-Black Sea basin, according to agricultural consulting firm SovEcon. While oil exports have not come to a complete halt, they too face frequent disruptions. The Sheskharis terminal, Russia's main Black Sea oil export facility, halted loadings for two days in mid-August.

Experts warn that if these attacks persist with such intensity, the consequences for Russian exporters and the national budget could be substantial. Russia has a significant volume of wheat available for export in the coming years, but the ongoing instability in the Black Sea poses a major obstacle to realizing these exports.

“

This means that virtually all Russian grain exports via the Azov-Black Sea basin are blocked.