Russia restarts grain shipments through Sea of Azov, media reports

Russian grain shipments through the Sea of Azov have resumed after a halt of more than three months that followed a Ukrainian drone campaign, according to media reports published on Oct. 28.

Ukrainian attacks prompted Russian authorities to temporarily stop shipping through the Don-Azov Channel on July 10, Reuters reported. Kyiv's military campaign resulted in over 100 Russian vessels being hit in the Azov sea during the summer — negatively impacting Russia's economy and contributing to an increase in global grain prices.

Russia has since restarted granting permits for vessels carrying grain seeking to leave the Sea of Azov. At least one ship had already passed through the Kerch Strait to the Black Sea by Oct. 29, Bloomberg reported .

The Sea of Azov is a strategically important waterway for Russia, used for military logistics and for exports of oil, grain, steel and other goods to international markets. It stretches from Russian-occupied Mariupol to occupied Crimea. The Kerch strait connects the Azov to the Black Sea.

Ukraine launched Operation Molochka in July, a campaign targeting Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in an effort to tighten the noose around Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula.

Throughout July, the military reported dozens of Russian shadow fleet vessels being struck in the Black and Azov seas. The Armed Forces said at the time that the targeted vessels supported Russia's military logistics by transporting cargo and servicing port infrastructure. By Aug. 8, Ukrainian drones had struck 218 Russian shadow fleet vessels, including 134 in the Sea of Azov and 84 in the Black Sea, according to the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Ukrainian drone strikes also reached Russia’s main Black Sea export terminals, with all three grain terminals at Novorossiysk, Russia’s leading Black Sea wheat export port, suspending operations over the summer.

The resumption of grain shipping comes as Russia faces growing pressure on its grain-export infrastructure. Krasnodar Krai, Russia's largest agricultural region, declared a state of emergency in September due to an inability to export grain.

Lithuania's Prime Minister Mindauga Sinkevicius called for the EU to impose sanctions on Russian grain, and to ban transit, on Oct. 8, which was followed the day after by a joint letter from the three Baltic prime ministers to put it on the EU agenda.

As Ukrainian strikes shut down Black Sea terminals, Russian exporters shifted much of their grain to Baltic ports, according to Reuters.