Overview
- Attacks on ships and port facilities intensified in July, and an agricultural market source said a July 30 Ukrainian drone strike caused significant damage to the Taman export terminal in Russia.
- Russia’s Union of Grain Exporters and Producers warned on July 31 that continued strikes could close Black Sea export corridors and create a 30–35 million tonne shortfall in Russian wheat this season.
- The United Nations-brokered corridor that had allowed Ukrainian exports has been effectively shut and many shipowners are avoiding the Black Sea, prompting Turkey and regional partners to begin mine-clearing and navigation security efforts.
- Moscow’s defence ministry said its forces struck 31 ships linked to Ukraine in the past week, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged European partners for help to protect shipping and global food supplies.
- Markets and aid-dependent regions face rising prices and food insecurity if the disruption continues because carry-over stocks are currently cushioning supplies but cannot substitute for sustained Black Sea exports.