Russia preparing navy and air force to block Ukraine’s Black Sea ports – Ukraine’s defense ministry

After withdrawing from the grain agreement, Russia is preparing ships and planes to block the Black Sea areas, the media center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on Wednesday.

"After Russia's withdrawal from the grain initiative, the armed forces of the occupiers boosted the combat training of the surface forces and naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet," the statement reads. "The Russians practice blocking maritime areas, detecting and destroying ships. The Russians are apparently practicing to destroy civilian ships going to and from Ukraine's ports. At the same time, they continue to improve the defense system of Crimea, namely, the Armiansk and Perekop directions." 

Similar assumptions were made in today's sumhas mary of British intelligence. Retired general, ex-commander of the US Ground Forces in Europe Ben Godges previously suggested that Ukraine's acquisition of long-range ATACMS missiles would allow it to force the Black Sea Fleet to "relocate to Novorossiysk."

Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative 

On July 17, the Kremlin refused to extend the grain agreement. Russian dictator's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said the "grain initiative" contracts had been terminated.

After that, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, offered Turkiye and the UN to continue the grain initiative in a trilateral format. The country is considering transporting food through the territorial waters of Romania and Bulgaria.

On July 19, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation threatened that countries under whose flags ships would be sent to Ukrainian ports would be considered involved in the war.

At the same time, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that Russia would resume its participation in the grain agreement only if the West met several demands.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports

After pulling out of the grain agreement, Russia has attacked the south of Ukraine almost every night. Missile strikes are carried out on Odesa and the region.

According to British intelligence, Russia generally refrained from targeting civilian infrastructure in southern ports between August 2022 and June 2023, when the Black Sea Grain Initiative was still active.

However, since the beginning of the war, Russia's strikes have been characterized by "poor intelligence and an ineffective targeting process," the British Ministry of Defense said.

As reported, on July 24, the Russian army attacked a port in the Odesa region with drones, destroying a grain hangar.

On July 21, the Russian forces attacked an agricultural enterprise in the Odesa region at night with Kaliber missiles aimed at grain warehouses and a building storing agricultural machinery.

As of Wednesday, July 26, one Russian missile carrier is on combat duty in the Black Sea, which can carry up to four Kalibt rockets. A total of 11 Russian ships are in the Black Sea.

According to the reports, one Russian ship is in the Sea of Azov, but no missiles are on it. Eight Russian ships are on duty in the Mediterranean Sea, including three missile carriers. They can carry up to 28 Kalibr cruise missiles.

During the day, in the interests of the Russian Federation, nine ships passed through the Kerch-Yenikal Strait to the Sea of Azov, one continued its movement to the Bosphorus, 19 vessels continued to the Black Sea, of which 5 continued their movement in the direction of the Bosphorus Strait.