Major Russian grain export terminal hit in Ukraine Black Sea port attack

On Wednesday night, a Ukrainian drone and missile attack on Russia's port city of Novorossiysk damaged grain export terminals and struck the last major Russian naval base on the Black Sea. The assault killed three people, including an eight-year-old child, and injured 24 others. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Ukraine launched a "unique operation" to target the Russian naval base, although he did not specifically mention the grain terminals being hit.

Zelensky warned that the occupying fleet and supporting infrastructure would remain vulnerable as long as Russian aggression persisted.

The majority of Russia's Black Sea fleet is currently docked in Novorossiysk after being forced to abandon Sevastopol, their former home base, which was too exposed to Ukrainian attacks. Major grain trading companies confirmed that their terminals had been hit, while the Russian agriculture ministry announced efforts to redirect cargo flows to ports in the Baltic, Caspian Seas, and through land routes.

An emergency situation was declared in Novorossiysk following the barrage of drones, which damaged pipelines and disrupted the city's water supply.

Elsewhere in the region, a man was killed by drone debris, and multiple buildings were damaged, including homes, in the surrounding Krasnodar region. Moscow retaliated with aerial strikes that killed at least 11 civilians, mostly in the city of Zaporizhzhia, where ballistic missiles and glide bombs were used. This marks the resumption of port and shipping attacks between Ukraine and Russia, following a period of relative calm in the Black Sea.

Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, stands to lose significant revenue from reduced exports due to the disruption in the Black and Azov Seas. The 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which aimed to lift the blockade on Ukraine's agricultural exports, proved short-lived as Russia resumed attacks on vessels using the maritime corridors to Odesa. Concerns over the impact of the war on global food supplies have persisted since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.