Russia Striking Hard at Ukrainian-Bound Cargo Ships, Halting Odessa Region Ports’ Operations

POWDER KEG BLACK SEA: Russia Is Striking Hard at Ukrainian-Bound Cargo Ships, Halting Odessa Region Ports’ Operations

Paul Serran

There’s no denying that Ukraine’s deep strikes into Russian infrastructure and the campaign against shadow fleet tankers are causing real problems for Russia.

But the effects of these strikes are always much exaggerated in the media, since Reuters itself has just reported that Russian budget revenues from the oil and gas sector in July increased by approximately 60% compared to the previous year.

It’s also been reported that Chinese refineries have been buying Russian oil.

In the meantime, the renewed strike campaign by Russian forces against cargo ships bound for Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea are throttling Kiev’s exports.

Worse – reports say no vessels are entering any Ukrainian ports in the Odesa region for the first time since the start of the war.

Shipping to Ukrainian ports stopped completely — Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy All vessels have decided to stop calling at Ukrainian ports amid Russian strikes The losses are estimated at $2 billion a month, since 80% of all Ukrainian exports go through those ports

Of course, in the MSM, when Kiev strikes Russian ships it’s a triumph, but when Moscow strikes Ukrainian-bound ships it’s treated as a despicable, criminal behavior.

Politico reported:

“’Russia is holding global food security hostage. Today zero vessels passed through Ukraine’s Black Sea maritime corridor — right at peak harvest. This is deliberate economic and humanitarian terror’, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in an evening statement on Wednesday.

‘Just as Iran targeted energy routes in the Strait of Hormuz, Russia is now targeting global food markets in the Black Sea. Millions of families across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America may face rising prices and hunger if this terror continues’, Sybiha added.”

Global shipping firm Maersk stopped operations at the Odesa region ports this week, redirecting cargo to Romania’s Constanta Port.

“During the night of July 23, the Russian Armed Forces carried out another series of coordinated strikes using air-launched precision weapons and attack drones. In the port of Odessa, the attacks hit infrastructure used to unload and store military cargo. Elsewhere in the city, a plant producing drone components and a warehouse holding completed unmanned aircraft intended for the Ukrainian military were also struck.

[…] Russian forces have regularly targeted facilities in Chernomorsk, Yuzhny, Izmail, Odessa and the Dnepro-Bug port since July 11. The targets have included berths, military cargo storage sites, fuel tanks, drone assembly facilities and vessels both at anchor and in transit.”

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