15.10.2026 09:53
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that overnight it struck, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the infrastructure of Ukraine’s Izmail Port on the Danube coast and 2 dry cargo ships that it alleged were carrying military cargo to Odesa Port. The ministry did not provide information about the ships’ identities or possible losses. The Odesa ports targeted in the attack had handled 89 percent of the cargo passing through Ukraine’s ports in 2025. Izmail is seen as the most important alternative to the Black Sea route.
Russia continues its attacks on ports in the Odesa region, the center of Ukraine’s seaborne exports. The Russian Ministry of Defense last claimed that facilities at the Izmail Port on the Danube River and 2 dry cargo ships heading to Odesa were targeted.
“MILITARY AND DUAL-USE CARGO” CLAIM
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that some infrastructure facilities at the Izmail Port in the Odesa region were struck by UAVs. The ministry claimed that these facilities were used for unloading and storing military and dual-use cargo for the Ukrainian army.
The statement said that 2 dry cargo ships allegedly carrying military cargo to the Odesa Port were also struck. The ministry did not share information about the ships’ names, flags, crew, or the extent of the damage. Ukrainian officials have not yet made a statement. The Russian side’s claims also could not be confirmed by independent sources.
ODESA PORTS: THE LIFELINE OF UKRAINE’S ECONOMY
The Odesa, Pivdennyi, and Chornomorsk ports at the center of the attacks are referred to as the “Greater Odesa” ports and form the backbone of Ukraine’s foreign trade. According to a statement by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba, of the 76.1 million tons of cargo handled at Ukrainian ports in 2025, 67.8 million tons, or about 89 percent, passed through these 3 ports.
According to an analysis by the Warsaw-based Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), Black Sea ports account for about 95 percent of Ukraine’s grain exports and a large part of its iron ore shipments. Agricultural and food products, meanwhile, accounted for about 60 percent of the country’s total exports in the first half of 2026, at $12.5 billion.
GRAIN CORRIDOR EXCEEDED 200 MILLION TONS
After Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the UN in July 2023, Ukraine opened its own maritime corridor sailing close to the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria. According to data in the Ukrainian press, about 209.3 million tons of cargo, including 124.1 million tons of grain, were transported through the corridor by the end of July 2026. More than 8,000 ships used the corridor, and Ukraine’s agricultural products reached more than 55 countries.
IZMAIL: THE ALTERNATIVE GATE ON THE DANUBE
Located on the banks of the Danube River, on the border with NATO member Romania, Izmail, together with Reni, is among the most important of Ukraine’s Danube ports. When the Black Sea ports come under threat, exports shift to these ports. In 2023, when the grain deal ended, the Danube ports peaked at about 3 million tons of cargo per month. Agricultural products made up about 80 percent of this cargo.
The Izmail, Reni, and Ust-Dunaysk ports handled a total of 8.9 million tons of cargo in 2025. However, according to OSW, the capacity of the Danube ports is limited and their costs are high. The record low water level in the Danube also reduced the carrying capacity of barges by up to 60 percent. Experts believe that the Danube route cannot replace the Odesa ports in the long term.
IN JULY, SHIP TRAFFIC CAME TO A HALT
Russia’s attacks on ports and ships increased noticeably this summer. According to data from Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure, in July 2026 alone, 22 attacks were carried out on ships at sea. This number was 14 in all of 2025. Nine people died on the Golden Leo ship struck on July 19, and the ship sank on July 26.
Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky announced on July 22 that no commercial ship entered Black Sea ports that day. While shipowners halted voyages due to security concerns, insurers were reported to have stopped issuing new policies for ships going to these ports. According to a Reuters report published in mid-September, although Kyiv has not taken a formal halt decision, shipowners refuse to call at Odesa ports. According to the same report, Ukraine’s agricultural exports declined by 60 percent.
IN RECENT WEEKS, SHIPS WERE TARGETED ONE AFTER ANOTHER
On September 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have struck a dry cargo ship it alleged was carrying cargo to Odesa, along with military facilities at the Kiliya Port. On October 4, 10, and 12, the ministry also announced that dry cargo ships it alleged were carrying military cargo off Odesa were targeted. None of these statements provided information about the identity of the ships.
The attacks also directly affect Turkish seafarers. On October 6, 2 commercial ships were struck by UAVs in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. The Turkish-owned, Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank, and no news was received from its crew. The 18-person crew of the Palau-flagged grain ship Able, 11 of them Turkish, was rescued. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said it could not be determined whether the UAVs came from Russia or Ukraine. A day earlier, the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov was struck and sank in Romanian waters, and 2 people lost their lives.
A TURKISH TANKER WAS PREVIOUSLY STRUCK IN IZMAIL
The Izmail Port had been targeted many times before. On November 17, 2025, the Turkish-flagged Orinda tanker, which was unloading liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the port, was struck in a UAV attack and caught fire. While the 16 crew members on board were evacuated, Romanian authorities evacuated 2 villages on the other side of the border as a precaution. In an attack carried out on the night of April 13-14, 2026, according to a statement by Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper, a Panamanian-flagged civilian ship, a pier, a barge, and port equipment were damaged at the port.