Ukraine restores ferry service with Georgia
The sea voyage from the city of Chernomorsk in Ukraine's Odesa Oblast to Batumi in Georgia will be the first between the countries since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Black Sea
Updated: Ukraine's military intelligence destroys Russian tugboat in Crimea
The vessel, most likely a raiding tug boat, was destroyed in occupied Crimea, Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier the same day, citing an undisclosed military intelligence source.
Ukraine hit 4 Russian patrol boats in occupied Crimea overnight, military intelligence says
Ukrainian Magura 5V naval drones damaged two more Russian patrol boats in occupied Crimea, bringing the total number of vessels struck in the overnight attack on May 30 to four, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said.
Russia claims over 100 downed drones amid reports of massive attack on port, oil facilities
If confirmed, it would be the largest drone attack by Ukraine throughout the entire war. A previous attack in March saw the Kremlin claiming to have downed 65 drones.
Minister: Ukraine exported agricultural products worth $22 billion in 2023
According to Vysotskyi, 87% of all agricultural products are being exported from Odesa and adjacent ports.
Opinion: Ukraine’s naval drones are taking over the Black Sea
Russian forces have encountered a new enemy in the Black Sea: Ukraine’s arsenal of naval kamikaze drones. These deceptively small unmanned vehicles have targeted Russia’s Black Sea Fleet since September 2022, picking off Russian battleships one by one. The latest of Ukraine’s maritime conquests was the Russian
National Bank: Ukraine's losses from Polish blockade partially offset by maritime trade
Losses caused by the Polish blockade of the Ukrainian border amounted to $500 million in lost imports and $160 million in exports in its first month, the National Bank of Ukraine said on May 14.
Estonia, Denmark transfer two naval patrol boats to Ukraine
Ukraine requires naval vessels for tasks such as the protection of Black Sea shipping routes.
Ukrainian grain exports slump in March, expected to further slow down this year
Ukrainian grain exports decreased in March and are expected to further slow down this year amid lower supply and smaller harvest predictions. Grain exports amounted to 5.2 million metric tons in March, down from 5.8 million metric tons the month before, according to various estimates. After Kyiv set
Ukraine Business Roundup — Business & War
The following is the April 16, 2024 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Russia’s large-scale attacks against Ukraine’s energy system late last week have stoked fears of renewed country-wide
Norwegian foreign minister visits Odesa
Barth Eide visited Odesa's port and said that he was "deeply impressed by the way Ukraine has been able to regain control and to ensure exports of grain to the world, despite constant Russian aggression."
Reuters: Ukraine, Russia almost reached Black Sea shipping agreement in March
Ukraine and Russia negotiated for two months on a deal to ensure the safety of merchant shipping in the Black Sea and reached agreement on a text in March, but Kyiv pulled out of the talks "at the last minute," Reuters reported on April 16, citing four unnamed people familiar with the matter.
The Counteroffensive: A look at the Russian military's war dolphins
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 14, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. In a country at war, death is all around. But Pavel Goldin is
'Long time' needed to repair Russian Serpukhov vessel after fire, Ukraine says
The Russian missile ship Serpukhov, which was reportedly set fire, will be difficult to repair under sanctions pressure, Dmytro Pletenchuk, Ukraine's Navy spokesperson, said on April 9.
Romania-led NATO naval exercise begins in Black Sea
According to a press release by the Romanian navy, the exercise will involve more than 2,000 soldiers, 27 ships, 17 planes, and other military-technical equipment.
Military intelligence: Ukraine directly controls Black Sea oil rigs, undermining Russia's reconnaissance capabilities
Russia's reconnaissance capabilities in the sky, on the water, and on land suffered after Ukraine regained control of a set of oil drilling platforms located in the Black Sea last autumn, Ukraine's military intelligence said on April 8.
Minister: Over 36 million tons of goods exported via Black Sea corridor since August 2023
According to Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine's corridor has already facilitated shipments of more goods than the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkey and the U.N. in July 2022.
Media: Russia appoints new acting navy commander
Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev was appointed as an acting commander of the Russian Navy on March 19, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Ukraine's UN envoy: Russia trying to block maritime corridor through strikes on Odesa
Russia is trying to disrupt Ukraine's maritime corridor through constant strikes on Odesa, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya said on March 8.
Zelensky to meet Erdogan in Turkey on March 8
President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 8 in Turkey, the Turkish Presidency said on X. The two leaders will discuss Russia’s war, the Black Sea grain deal, and bilateral relations, according to the announcement.
Ukraine’s sea exports reach record monthly level since full-scale invasion
Ukraine exported eight million metric tons of goods through the Black Sea corridor in February, reaching a monthly record level since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Infrastructure Ministry reported on March 1.
6 drones shot down over Russian targets, defense ministry claims
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that two drones were shot down over Belgorod Oblast and four were intercepted over the Black Sea.
Infrastructure Ministry: 93% of Ukrainian agricultural exports exit Ukraine by sea, river
Ukrainian farmers have exported 93% of their products through the ports in and around Odesa and on the Danube since August 2023, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported on Feb. 23.
10 years of war: A timeline of Russia's decade-long aggression against Ukraine
Almost immediately following the end of the EuroMaidan Revolution in Ukraine in February 2014, Russia swiftly moved to annex and occupy the Crimean Peninsula. Within a couple of months, unrest erupted in eastern Ukraine followed by Russian-backed militias taking over administrative buildings. The events mark the start of Russia's 10-year
Military says Russian landing ship sunk in Black Sea
If confirmed, it would be the fourth landing ship from Russia's Black Sea Fleet that has been sunk since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
This Week in Ukraine Ep. 32 – How Russia is losing superiority in the Black Sea
Episode #32 is dedicated to Ukraine's surprising successes in the Black Sea.
UK Defense Ministry: Olenegorskiy Gornyak is largest Russian vessel seriously damaged after sinking of Moskva cruiser
"This is a significant blow to the (Russian) Black Sea Fleet, which previously relocated most of its units to Novorossiysk due to the high threat to Sevastopol," the ministry added.
The multi-million dollar Black Sea gas deal that doesn't exist
A UAE-linked company announced a $122 million investment project to build a terminal to store liquified natural gas (LNG) in Ukraine on July 18. The message raised eyebrows within the expert community, as a multimillion-dollar project near the front line doesn’t appear possible, nor does it appear to even
More than 5,000 dolphins die in Black Sea as a result of Russia’s war
Russia's war in Ukraine is not only killing civilians but defenseless animals as well. Marine biologists and ecologists from countries in the Black Sea region are sounding the alarm, as dolphins die en masse for the fourth month in a row. Ivan Rusev, an environmental scientist at Ukraine's Tuzly Estuaries
Ukrainian Coast Guard: Russia confirms it will not block Azov Sea traffic for exercises
A Ukrainian Coast Guard official said that Russian authorities officially denied earlier information that the Azov Sea would be closed to maritime traffic on Feb. 13-19 due to Russian naval exercises. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had earlier said that Russia's planned exercises would fully block the Azov Sea and severely
Pavel Felgenhauer: Russia and NATO locked in high-risk standoff in Mediterranean and Black Seas
On Wednesday, January 26, the United States’ ambassador in Moscow, John Sullivan, personally delivered a memorandum to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs containing the official US reply to earlier Russian demands on security guarantees. Simultaneously, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) handed over to Moscow its separate written response.
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