Map reveals Putin’s plot to ‘paralyze’ vital Black Sea route with missiles | world news

Vladimir Putin fired a series of 8,400-pound Iskander-M ballistic missiles at merchant ships carrying Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea.

Three ships have been attacked in the past month, signaling a shift in Russia’s strategy.

Dryad Global maritime risk analyst Noah Trowbridge said Russia is working to “cripple” the grain shipping corridor by driving up war risk premiums for merchant ships transiting the ports Ukraine

he said Metro which, in doing so, seeks to inflict as much damage as possible on the economy of the war-torn country before winter.

Trowbridge said: “Russia is looking to increase pressure on the shipping industry. It has targeted the three main seaports in Odesa Oblast over the past week damaging three ships, killing seven and injuring eight people in the process, according to initial reports.

“The distribution of attacks and the type of vessels targeted (both container and bulk carriers) could be interpreted as a signal that Russia is capable of attacking ships and port infrastructure throughout Ukraine and is willing to attack commercial shipping indiscriminately.”

Instead of accusing Ukraine of false flag tactics, Russia’s defense ministry said one of the ships was hit last week because it “delivered a batch of ammunition and weapons from Europe.”

Dryad Global said it could not verify the ministry’s claim about the weapons at the time.

Footage of the latest attack on the Palau Optima-flagged cargo ship showed that it was a direct hit, not collateral damage from bombing Odesa’s infrastructure.

It was the third direct Russian missile attack on a merchant ship in the Black Sea in 2024, and the second in less than 48 hours.

On October 5, a Russian Iskander-M missile struck a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo ship Paresa moored in the city of Yuzhny.

Oleksii Kuleba, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for restoration, released a photo of the aftermath of the blast at Pivdennyi port, showing the central checkpoint covered in debris.

“On October 5, a Russian ballistic missile hit the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged civilian vessel Paresa in the seaport of Pivdennyi in the Odesa region.

“Ballistic missile hits ship, loaded with 6,000 tons of Ukrainian corn.”

In a Facebook post, the ministry said the 15 Syrian and Egyptian crew members of the Paresa were not injured.

While the majority of attacks on merchant ships and port infrastructure have occurred in Ukrainian waters since February 2022, Trowbridge pointed to the attack on another ship transiting Romanian waters in September.

He stressed the importance of the timing: “The attack coincided with talks about whether alliance members would allow Ukraine to use its weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.”

Since the start of the full-scale war, Dryad Global has maintained that all ships transiting Ukrainian waters are at “serious risk.”

Trowbridge said Russian attacks on commercial shipping are “likely” at any time.

He added: “While further attacks on Ukraine’s port infrastructure and ships at berth are likely, Russia would eventually come under increasing pressure from countries that rely on Ukraine’s grain imports in the Middle East and Africa if transport were to be completely disrupted.”

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