Ukraine has been launching drones at the Sea of Azov, meaning to disrupt Russia’s “shadow fleet” there and push Russia to halt exports.
Meanwhile, Russia has been attacking civilian ships belonging to Ukraine in the Black Sea.
Tupolev Tu-22M Strategic Bomber Aircraft
Russia’s Tu-22M3 bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russia’s Tu-22M3 Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has spoken up about it, accusing Russia of “holding global food security hostage.”
“At least three civilian cargo ships have been bombed in the past few days by Russia. A few dozen crew members have been killed and injured,” Minister Sybiha said in a social media post.
“Today, zero vessels passed through Ukraine’s Black Sea maritime corridor—right at peak harvest.
This is deliberate economic and humanitarian terror,” he added. “Just as Iran targeted energy routes in the Strait of Hormuz, Russia is now targeting global food markets in the Black Sea.”
He went on to state that Ukraine has requested a UN Security Council meeting to address the situation on July 27, which is next Monday.
“No country has the right to starve the world. Global pressure can stop Russian terror,” the minister added.
The End of Ship Traffic
Per politico.eu, no ships entered any of the three Ukrainian ports in the Odesa region on Wednesday, the first time that had happened since the corridor was first set up in 2023.
Shipping giant Maersk announced a stop to operations in Chornomorsk Fishing Port, moving that traffic instead to Romania’s Constanta Port.
“Previously, there had also been many hits on ships, but most of them concerned ships already docked in ports,” Andrii Klymenko, head of the Black Sea and Baltic Strategic Research Monitoring Group, said to Politico in the story.
What’s the Difference?
How do Russia’s attacks differ from Ukraine’s? According to Ukraine’s Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk, there’s one crucial difference.
“The war in the sea never stopped. We have already been in a similar situation. Yes, pressure increased, and yes, shipping companies see risks and reduce operations. But we will keep working to restore maximum capacity of our maritime corridor,” Pletenchuk said, per Politico.
Attacks on “Russia’s Amazon”
The New York Times reported on Thursday about the latest bit of strategy from Ukraine: Attacks on “Russia’s Amazon.”
In recent days, Ukraine has launched a series of drone attacks on Wildberries, which is Russia’s leading e-commerce retailer.
It’s described by the newspaper as “a campaign to bring the conflict home to ordinary Russians.” Indeed, as noted by CNN, the attacks have also had a negative effect on the large group of small business owners who sell their products through that retailer.
“In recent days, Ukraine has hit five warehouses belonging to Wildberries, a Russian analog to Amazon, as well as storage sites for other large retailers,” the Times said. “Eight people were killed in attacks on Saturday and one person on Wednesday, the Russian authorities said.
The strikes on Saturday alone were reported to have wiped out between 6 and 9 percent of the storage capacity of Wildberries.”
The Times also noted that while Ukraine is attempting to chip away at Russia’s resolve, Russian President Vladimir Putin “has signaled no intention of backing away from his objectives in the conflict, and the economy, while weakened by the war, is not on the verge of collapse.”
However, if Ukraine’s attacks continue, “the ripple effects could pose severe economic challenges on top of a range of other war-related strains, reducing tax collections and adding to inflation,” for the Russian side.
While Wildberries claims a policy of not selling “military-grade weapons,” the retailer does sell other items that could be used for military purposes, such as commercial drones and fiber-optic cables.
“The company itself and all the sellers will likely pay less in taxes than last year, and given the size, it might be pretty substantial, especially at a time when the Russian budget is experiencing a widening deficit,” Alexander Kolyandr, director for Europe at the Eurasia Group, told the Times of Wildberries.
Citing a report from the Russian newspaper Kommersant, as well as Forbes Russia, the Times stated that the Saturday attacks on Wildberries “destroyed goods worth almost as much as Wildberries’ entire profit last year.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
