Ukraine carried out a significant strike on Russian warships and major grain export facilities in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, an attack that killed three people and drew a warning from Moscow about potential disruptions to global food supplies, according to regional and Ukrainian officials.
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said three people died in the assault, including an eight-year-old child, and that another 24 people were injured. The port city sits on Russia’s Black Sea coast and serves as a key hub for the country’s agricultural exports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the operation as a success on Wednesday, saying Kyiv deployed what he called a unique combination of long-range drones and weapons to target Russian fleet vessels in the city’s bay area. Zelenskyy did not mention grain terminals in his remarks.
The Ukrainian leader said Russia’s Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov frigates, a large landing ship, a corvette, and other vessels were struck in the attack. He added that “other Russian facilities that were helping finance the war were also struck,” and framed the assault as a fair response to Russia’s invasion, saying Moscow “can and must end its war.”
Two Russian grain trading companies reported damage from the strike, according to multiple media reports cited by CNBC. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday it was working to redirect cargo flows to ports in the Baltic and Caspian Seas as well as to land routes.
Global food market fears
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of trying to “provoke chaos” on global food markets, claiming the attack serves the interests of several Western countries. Speaking via the TASS news agency, Zakharova said the strikes “exacerbate shortages of grain and fertilizers, drives up global food prices and increases the costs for countries in the Global South and East, which have become hostages to the irresponsible policies of these ‘players.'”
The assault comes amid an escalating pattern of attacks by both sides on each other’s export infrastructure in the Black Sea region. Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, and Ukraine, also a major agricultural exporter, have traded strikes on port facilities and other infrastructure in recent weeks, a dynamic that has pushed global wheat prices higher.
Agricultural consultancy SovEcon said earlier this week that Russia appeared on track to export between 3 million and 3.4 million metric tons of wheat this month — well below the five-year August average of 5 million tons. The consultancy said that could represent the lowest August total since the 2016-2017 agricultural season, following an already weak July.
Ukrainian wheat holds particular importance for Asian and African nations. Between 2016 and 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, Asian and African countries received 92% of Ukraine’s wheat, according to data compiled by the European Union.
Separately, Russian forces have intensified missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, likely seeking to exploit what analysts describe as Kyiv’s shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.
Source: www.cnbc.com — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/13/ukraine-russia-novorossiysk-grain.html
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