Kremlin Says It Is Acting to Limit Ukrainian Strikes’ Effect on Russian Grain Exports

The Russian government announced that it is developing steps to reduce the impact of recent Ukrainian attacks on the nation’s grain-export infrastructure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said officials have identified measures that will be refined to ensure that all grain slated for export reaches its destination on schedule and in full, though he offered no further details.

Moscow Times

In recent weeks, both Russia and Ukraine—each a major global grain supplier—have carried out retaliatory strikes on ports and vessels in the Black Sea region. These actions have forced the closure of several grain terminals and caused shippers to delay or cancel dozens of cargoes during the peak export period.

Moscow Times

According to the Sovecon consultancy, Russian grain shipments are expected to rise to 2.2 million tons in the current month, up from 1.95 million tons the month before. President Vladimir Putin has estimated that Russia will have roughly 60 million metric tons of grain available for export in the current season.

Moscow Times

President Putin, speaking the week before the Kremlin’s announcement, acknowledged that Russia was facing difficulties with its agricultural exports but pledged that officials would work to resolve the issues. He also assured that there would be no shortages in global markets. The Kremlin’s later remarks reinforced this stance, emphasizing that the identified measures aim to keep export flows uninterrupted.

Moscow Times

Global wheat importers are monitoring the situation closely, as the tit-for-tat attacks have already tightened supplies of Black Sea grain. The Russian government’s commitment to maintaining export volumes seeks to mitigate further disruptions, but the lack of concrete details on the proposed measures leaves some uncertainty about their effectiveness.

Moscow Times