Kernel Holding said repeated Russian missile and drone attacks damaged grain and sunflower-product infrastructure at the Black Sea port, while separate strikes on Ukraine’s maritime trade network killed civilian sailors and truck drivers.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s leading grain exporter, Kernel Holding, suspended operations at the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk on Monday after several days of Russian missile and drone attacks damaged critical storage and transshipment infrastructure.
Kernel said strikes conducted between Friday and Sunday damaged facilities used to store and move grain, sunflower oil and sunflower meal. The company described the attacks as among the most severe to hit its port assets during the war.
The major Ukrainian grain and oilseed producer said it could not determine when operations at Chornomorsk would resume.
In a regulatory filing, Kernel said the combined missile and drone attacks during the nights of July 10 through July 12 compounded damage caused by earlier Russian strikes in May and June.
No casualties were reported at Kernel’s facilities.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s maritime export infrastructure during the more than four years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion. Ports along the Black Sea remain essential to Ukraine’s foreign trade, agricultural exports and wartime economy.
Chornomorsk, a major deep-water port in the Odesa region, has been struck repeatedly.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that its forces had attacked infrastructure at the port, claiming the facilities were being used to handle military cargo for Ukraine’s armed forces.
Kernel’s announcement came amid a broader series of attacks on Ukrainian ports and civilian vessels.
Ukraine’s seaports authority said Saturday that Russian forces had struck port infrastructure in the Odesa region for a second consecutive day. Two truck drivers were killed in an attack on one of the region’s ports, although the authority did not identify the facility.
A separate Russian strike Monday hit a Togolese-flagged civilian merchant vessel moored in the Odesa region, according to Ukrainian officials.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said three crew members were killed and five others were injured.
The ship was carrying mineral fertilizers at the time of the attack, Odesa regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. Ukraine’s seaports authority also reported damage to port infrastructure during the same strike.
The attacks have placed additional pressure on Ukraine’s ability to move agricultural and commercial goods through the Black Sea.
Kernel is one of the country’s most important exporters of grain and vegetable oil products. Damage to its storage and transshipment facilities could disrupt the movement of agricultural commodities even after the port itself becomes accessible again.
The timing for repairs and a return to normal operations remained uncertain Monday.
The suspension at Chornomorsk came as Ukraine intensified its own campaign against Russian military and logistical routes in occupied southern Ukraine, including operations intended to isolate the Crimean Peninsula.
Ukraine’s drone forces commander said Ukrainian unmanned systems struck 15 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight.
According to the commander, Ukrainian forces had hit 105 vessels during the previous eight days.
Last week, Russia temporarily halted shipping through a channel connecting the Don River with the Sea of Azov, according to industry sources.
The competing attacks reflect an expanding effort by both countries to disrupt maritime logistics, port operations and supply routes.
Russia has focused on Ukraine’s Black Sea export network, striking ports, storage facilities, commercial vehicles and vessels. Ukraine, meanwhile, has targeted Russian shipping and logistical infrastructure in the Sea of Azov and occupied southern territories.
Kernel’s shutdown underscored the economic consequences of the intensified campaign. Although the company reported no deaths or injuries at its own facilities, the latest attacks damaged infrastructure essential to moving some of Ukraine’s most important exports and coincided with deadly strikes elsewhere in the Odesa port system.
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