Ukraine has exported more than 10 million tons of agricultural produce since breaking the Russian naval blockade of the country’s Black Sea ports five months ago, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov announced on 8 January. According to Kubrakov, Ukraine has now shipped almost 15 million tons of cargo in total following the launch of a humanitarian corridor in the western Black Sea on 10 August 2023, with more than 460 cargo ships passing throughout ports in southern Ukraine.
The reopening of Ukraine’s ports for merchant shipping was one of the country’s biggest breakthroughs in the war against Russia during 2023. Russia began blockading Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on the eve of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. In July 2022, a UN-brokered agreement facilitated the limited export of grain, but the partial blockade continued. When Russia unilaterally withdrew from the UN grain deal in July 2023, Ukraine vowed to defy the Kremlin and enforce free passage for merchant shipping.
Ukraine’s progress since August 2023 in consolidating a humanitarian maritime corridor has been possible thanks to the country’s broader success in the Battle of the Black Sea. Using a combination of missiles, drones, and commando raids, Ukraine has destroyed a number of Russian warships and forced Putin to withdraw the bulk of his fleet from Crimea. This campaign included the partial destruction of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol in one headline-grabbing September 2023 attack. Reopening Black Sea shipping lanes provides Ukraine with a vital economic lifeline while also boosting global food security.