Black Sea Attacks Escalate: Russian and Ukrainian Strikes Threaten Global Food Supplies

A freighter, the Liberian-flagged Contship Jet Monrovia, sank in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria on October 28 after being struck by three naval drones and aerial drones. The vessel, carrying over 400 containers and en route from the Israeli port of Haifa to Romania, listed and sank, though all 18 crew members were safely rescued, according to Bulgarian authorities. The daylight assault was captured on film by crew members, other vessels, and a French surveillance plane.

Kyiv asserted that the drones were Russian and that the attack aimed to render the Black Sea unsafe for civilian shipping, disrupt Ukraine's grain exports, and further damage its war-affected economy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv's forces were not involved in any operations in that sea sector, attributing the incident to Russia's efforts to make the western Black Sea impassable for navigation.

The European Union's delegation in Kyiv noted in August that Russia is systematically undermining Ukraine's capacity to supply food globally. By targeting ports, shipping routes, and agricultural infrastructure, Moscow is not only at war with Ukraine but also employing hunger as a weapon against millions in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. While Europe's food security remains stable, the EU is committed to supporting Ukraine's access to international markets, as stated by Paula Ritter-Moschutz, a spokeswoman for Agriculture and Customs at the European Commission. She added that the implications for agriculture, global food security, and the economy are under continuous assessment, and the EU supports initiatives for a moratorium on Black Sea attacks.

Recent attacks have resulted in at least 30 sailors killed or missing, according to Bulgarian and Romanian authorities and maritime tracking services. This alleged campaign by Moscow follows Ukrainian strikes on Russian freighters and oil tankers in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, as well as attacks on oil refineries, military facilities, and warehouses. These Ukrainian strikes intensified in July, potentially prompting Moscow's retaliatory actions, observers suggest.

Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher at Germany’s Bremen University specializing in the Russia-Ukraine war, suggested that a