Ukrainian drones forced Russia to reroute grain exports — Reuters
Russian grain exporters have begun changing their shipping routes and redirecting shipments from the Black and Azov Seas to ports on the Baltic Sea due to Ukrainian attacks on ships and port infrastructure.
During the previous export season, from July 2025 to June 2026, Russia exported 46.3 million metric tons of grain through ports on the Black and Azov Seas. These ports accounted for about 90% of Russia’s seaborne grain exports. During this period, only about 1 million metric tons were shipped through Russian ports on the Baltic Sea.
However, as of August 18, requests for rail transport of grain to Russian Baltic ports this season had already reached 5 million metric tons. For Novorossiysk and Tuapse, this figure stood at about 6 million metric tons.
Russian exporters are also increasingly considering ports in the Baltic states, primarily Latvia. According to Andriy Sizov, head of the consulting firm Sovecon, the volume of such shipments could rise sharply in September.
Last season, Russia exported about 1 million metric tons of grain through the Baltic states, compared to 2.5 million metric tons two years earlier.
At the same time, the Baltic route cannot fully replace the Black and Azov Seas for Russian exporters. The capacity of Russian grain terminals on the Baltic is estimated at a maximum of 7 million metric tons per year.
This is reported by Reuters.
Russia is forced to import jet fuel for military aircraft and drones, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR).
Russian dictator Vova Putin called the fuel crisis in the country “inconveniences” and shifted the blame onto the government.
The fuel crisis in Russia has worsened following a new series of Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. In the first half of August, at least nine facilities in the industry—with a combined capacity of 145 million metric tons per year—were attacked, and at least four were destroyed. Refining volumes are now one-third below the seasonal norm, according to Rystad estimates.
Prior to this, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched new long-range strikes against militarily significant targets on Russian territory and in the Black Sea. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian military struck targets more than 1,300 kilometers from the front lines, targeting oil infrastructure and the Russian navy.
