Russia halts shipping through the Don-Azov Canal after Ukrainian attacks
13.07.2026 - 15:32
Russia has temporarily suspended shipping through the Don-Azov Canal, the waterway connecting the Don River with the Sea of Azov.
This was reported by Reuters with reference to three sources in the grain export industry.
This followed Ukraine’s attack on 13 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov on Friday, July 10, including 10 tankers. Market analysts note that up to a quarter of wheat exports from Russia, the world’s largest grain exporter, pass through the Sea of Azov.
One of the sources said Russian border guards had told shipping companies that all requests for passage through the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, would not be accepted from 18:10 local time on July 10. Border guards report to the FSB security service. The message did not specify when the ban would be lifted.
Russia’s leading grain producers, the Rostov and Krasnodar regions, are located along the Sea of Azov. The country’s second largest port in the Black Sea region is located in the Kerch Strait.
On July 10, the price of Euronext wheat rose 4% to a six-week high, as rumors of a possible closure of shipping through the Sea of Azov spread in the market.
Earlier, USM reported that drones hit 105 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov in eight days.
