Russian grain exports stall after attacks on ports
A Russian agricultural region has declared a state of emergency after disruption to port routes hampered grain shipments.
Grain exports from southern Russia have fallen sharply following attacks and disruptions around ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. A regional state of emergency has therefore been declared in Krasnodar; exporters are trying to divert cargoes to ports on the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
The governor of Krasnodar signed a decree on 23 September linking problems with grain shipments to attacks on logistics infrastructure and disrupted shipping. Krasnodar is one of Russia’s most important agricultural regions. According to the decree, producers risk being left with large stocks.
The Russian Grain Union reported that Russia exported 418,000 tonnes of grain and pulses between 1 and 10 September. In the same period a year earlier, the figure was 2.4 million tonnes. Wheat exports amounted to 294,000 tonnes, according to the union’s figures 6.5 times less than a year earlier.
The disruption is mainly affecting the traditional southern route. According to Reuters, Russian companies have begun adapting fertiliser, coal and multipurpose terminals on the Baltic Sea and in the north for grain handling. Ust-Luga and Murmansk are intended to absorb some of the lost capacity.
That switch is not straightforward. The southern ports have specialised storage, loading facilities and established links with buyers in the Middle East and North Africa. Northern and Baltic routes require additional rail transport, different handling arrangements and longer sea voyages. Available capacity is therefore not automatically equivalent to the capacity lost in the south.
Russian authorities and Ukrainian agencies give different accounts of the attacks. Moscow says it struck military and logistical targets; Ukraine has not publicly confirmed responsibility for individual attacks in every case. Independent verification of the damage and its cause is difficult for many incidents.
The immediate effects are most visible in Russia’s agricultural supply chain: more difficult sales, additional storage pressure and uncertainty over prices and transport. It is still too early to predict a new food crisis for the global market. But the vulnerability of the grain trade is increasing as long as key export ports and shipping routes remain targets.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Russian grain exports fell sharply in early September, according to the Russian Grain Union.
- Krasnodar declared a state of emergency because of problems shipping agricultural products.
- Exporters are seeking alternative routes through Baltic and northern ports.
- The precise responsibility for individual attacks has not been independently established everywhere.
Left
Arguments This perspective emphasises that food and agricultural infrastructure should be kept outside the war as far as possible. Russia and Ukraine should restore safe trade routes, with international monitoring and protection for civilian shipping.
Values Food security, protection of civilians and international legal norms.
Consequences A controlled grain corridor could limit price shocks and income losses for farmers, but would require agreements between parties that continue to fight one another militarily.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach calls for a distinction between confirmed damage, statements by the parties and market analyses. At the same time, governments should support transport insurance, alternative routes and transparent trade information while the southern ports remain uncertain.
Values Risk management, verifiable information and continuity of essential markets.
Consequences This could keep trade partly operational without political statements about responsibility, but alternative routes will remain more expensive and less efficient.
Right
Arguments This perspective sees the disruption as part of a broader power struggle in which Ukraine is trying to hit Russian revenues and logistics. Russia must protect its ports and export chain and become less dependent on vulnerable southern routes.
Values National sovereignty, security, economic resilience and strategic autonomy.
Consequences Greater military and logistical protection could restore exports, but would also increase costs, escalation risks and pressure on neighbouring countries and trade routes.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The export figures and the Russian state of emergency were checked against public sources. Claims about attacks have consistently been attributed and not presented as independently proven facts.
- confirmed Krasnodar declared a regional state of emergency because of problems shipping grain. — Interfax reports that the governor signed the decree on 23 September. source
- confirmed Russia exported 418,000 tonnes of grain in the first ten days of September, compared with 2.4 million tonnes a year earlier. — These figures are attributed to the Russian Grain Union and were also published by UkrAgroConsult. source
- confirmed Wheat exports fell to 294,000 tonnes during that period. — UkrAgroConsult cites figures from the Russian Grain Union. source
- confirmed Russian companies are adapting Baltic and northern terminals for grain exports. — Reuters reports the conversion of terminals and alternative routes. source
- confirmed Responsibility for and damage from individual attacks have not been independently established in every case. — The public reporting used contains statements from the parties involved and limited independent verification. source
Editor's note
The state of emergency, export figures and alternative routes have been publicly reported. The precise damage, responsibility for individual attacks and ultimate consequences for global food prices remain partly uncertain.Sources
- Krasnodar voert noodtoestand in wegens problemen met graanafvoer — Interfax
- Russia adapts fertilizer, coal terminals in Baltic, Arctic ports to export Black Sea grain — Reuters via MarketScreener
- Russia’s Black Sea grain exports nearly grind to a halt — UkrAgroConsult
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „rusland oekraïne”
- Het Parool — „rusland oekraïne”
- Trouw — „rusland oekraïne”