FEATURE | Russian port strikes dent Ukraine’s grain and ore exports

Russian airstrikes on Ukraine's Black Sea ports late last year have reduced their capacity and harmed Ukrainian agricultural and mineral exports, industry sources said, the country's main source of income during its four-year war with Russia.

The Odesa region of southern Ukraine - home to a large shipping hub with terminals in the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi - has been targeted since the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

However, Ukraine, which ships about 90 per cent of all its exports via that shipping hub, has managed to operate its own "maritime corridor", with vessels hugging the coast and keeping away Russia's fleet with naval drones.

But Russia sharply increased the intensity of attacks on the Black Sea ports in December when President Vladimir Putin threatened to, "cut Ukraine off from the sea".

An industry source said Russian strikes damaged 13 civilian vessels in December, mostly bulk cargo, commonly used for transporting grain and iron ore, Ukraine's biggest exports. That represented nearly 10 per cent of all vessels hit since the war started four years ago, Reuters calculations show.