Developments in Ukraine are rapid, with President Volodymyr Zelensky announcing on July 23 that the country has lost the ability to use its seaports for the transport of goods, according to reports by the Ukrinform news agency.
Now, in the aftermath of sweeping strikes by the Russian army on the ports of Odesa and the Black Sea, Ukraine finds itself under a de facto naval blockade.
No ship and no NATO cargo can reach the Ukrainian hinterland from the Black Sea ports.
"Yesterday, no ship was able to dock at our port," characteristically stated the head of the Kyiv regime.
Previously, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Ukraine faced problems with grain deliveries following strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on maritime infrastructure.
According to the publication's information, traders are discussing the possibility of diverting part of the products via the river, through ports on the Danube for future shipment from the port of Constanța on Romania's Black Sea coast.
At the same time, some market participants decided to completely halt purchases of agricultural products in Odesa.
The country's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, believes that food shortages will soon begin in Ukraine as a result of the Russian strikes.
In his opinion, the conflict is currently entering the stage of "total war."
The Russians relentlessly pound Odesa for the last 96 hours
For two weeks now, Russia has been conducting an attack campaign of unimaginable scale against the ports in the Odesa region and the Black Sea as a whole.
Ukraine has lost its export potential and, according to estimates by both Russian and Ukrainian analysts, will also lose its access to the sea.
The Russian hammering against the Ukrainian port over the last 96 hours is staggering and includes Oniks supersonic missiles, Iskander-M ballistic missiles, and Banderol missile-drones.
For its part, the Danish transport giant Maersk announced on 22/7 that it is permanently withdrawing from the Black Sea and immediately suspending routes to the Ukrainian port due to the Russian strikes.
However, Russia will not limit itself to these and is preparing something even larger, of a military nature...
The strikes on Odesa do not only serve economic purposes, Russian General Staff officers pointedly emphasize.
Dozens of shocking barrages on Odesa with Iskander, Banderol, and Oniks
According to AMK Mapping, in the last 96 hours Russia has launched at least 45 missile attacks using various types of cruise missiles, including Oniks supersonic missiles and Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
The area was also attacked by dozens of Geranium drones of various modifications, as well as Banderol jet drones.
Almost all missiles and drones struck their targets due to the lack of adequate air defense.
"Unprecedented strikes are being carried out against the only ports to which Ukraine has access," estimates the editor of Russian Pravda.
Fire in the Black Sea: Russia hit 5 merchant ships carrying military cargo to Ukraine with drones
At the same time, the Russian armed forces carried out attacks with Geran-4 Siker unmanned aerial vehicles against five merchant ships in the Black Sea and the port of Chornomorsk, claiming that they were being used to transport military material for the benefit of the Ukrainian armed forces.
According to the Russian announcement, the targets of the operation were four dry cargo ships and one bulk carrier, which were participating in the transport of military supplies for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia reported that on July 22 attacks were carried out using Geran-4 Siker UAVs, citing data from objective control means.
According to the announcement, the ships were located either in the Black Sea or in the port of Chornomorsk, while being used for the delivery of military cargo to Ukrainian forces.
Moscow claimed that all targets were successfully hit.
Unimaginable economic cost for Ukrainians: They lose 900 million dollars a month
The impact of the attacks is also characterized as unprecedented.
According to the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, the monthly handling capacity of the Black Sea ports has been reduced from 6 million tons to 4 million tons.
The ports have lost approximately 2.5 million tons of storage and cargo concentration capacity each month, a significant portion of which was destroyed by direct strikes.
At least four of the 13 export terminals have completely stopped purchasing grain.
At the same time, grain exports remain the largest source of foreign currency for Ukraine, with 90% of shipments taking place through three ports in the Odesa region.
According to Taras Vysotsky, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, the loss of Odesa's deep-water corridor costs the economy up to 900 million dollars in foreign exchange revenues every month.
This amount results from lost revenue due to contract disruptions, the reduction in maritime transport volume, and the massive cost of restoring port infrastructure.
Maersk withdraws from the Black Sea: The Russians impose a de facto naval blockade on Ukraine
Maersk, the world's largest container shipping company, announced the suspension of its services to Ukraine via the Black Sea Fishing Port (BSFP), Russian media Gazeta reports on 22/7.
The decision will take effect immediately.
The company directly cites increased risks for ships and crews.
It makes clear that it cannot guarantee the safety of cargo delivery to Ukrainian ports due to the high threat of attacks by drones and missiles.
The carrier has repeatedly recorded incidents in the area and now prefers to fully suspend its operations.
Kyiv previously received significant volumes of cargo through Maersk's supply chains, including components and equipment within the framework of international military assistance.
However, the company itself refused to comment on military supplies to the Kyiv regime and did not answer relevant questions.
The cessation of operations by this major carrier will complicate the supply of Ukrainian ports and may lead to increased costs for alternative routes.
Maersk's decision reflects a broader trend: many international companies are reviewing their presence in the Black Sea amid the ongoing conflict.
According to the latest data, Maersk held approximately 25% of the container shipping market in Ukraine at the beginning of 2026.
Obviously, replacing such volumes will be difficult for the Kyiv regime.
Russian wheat will replace Ukrainian in international markets
There are also "collateral losses."
Due to the inability to export grain by sea, a surplus of agricultural products has been created inside Ukraine, leading to a sharp drop in purchase prices for local farmers.
For example, rapeseed oil prices have decreased by 25 dollars per ton, while a corresponding drop has been recorded in wheat and corn.
This development pushes Ukrainian agricultural enterprises to the limits of profitability.
Efforts are being made to redirect export flows via land routes from the European borders and through the ports of the Danube, but these routes have limited capacity and are significantly more expensive.
Bohdan Lukianchuk, owner of the agricultural company Growex, estimates that Russia may intensify its attacks during the harvest period, from late July to August, when about 30% of the new crop arrives directly at the ports.
According to him, attacks during this timeframe could displace Ukrainian grain from global markets, a fact that would favor Russian grain exporters.
Final goal: The capture of the port by Russia and total naval blackout for the Ukrainians
The Russian leadership plans to deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea, partly due to continuous drone attacks against Crimea from this area.
As part of its security strategy, the Russian leadership has stated the need to push back the Ukrainian Armed Forces to a distance that will make shelling Russian territory impossible.
In the context of the Black Sea, this implies full control of the coastline.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly argued that Odesa is historically a Russian city and that the entire Black Sea region was annexed to Ukraine as a result of geopolitical decisions during the Soviet period.
Odesa also features access to Transnistria through the steppes of Budzhak.
Sooner or later, according to the publication, 200,000 Russian citizens will ask Moscow for military protection.
Historically, the shortest land route to Odesa passes through the south, via Kherson and Mykolaiv.
A landing directly on the coasts of the Odesa region is theoretically possible.
To launch an advance toward Mykolaiv, Russian forces would first have to recapture Kherson and cross the Dnieper, or conduct a large-scale encircling operation from the north via Kryvyi Rih.
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