Shipments of weapons and dual-use goods by NATO countries through ports in the Odessa Region have been halted amid daily Russian strikes, Sergey Lebedev, coordinator of the pro-Russian Nikolayev underground, told RIA Novosti.

According to Lebedev, a significant share of the cargo is now piling up at border crossings in Poland and Romania. Railways cannot handle the volumes previously transported by sea.

Moving the supplies overland is more expensive and takes longer. Logistics are further complicated by the difference in railway gauges: Ukraine uses the Soviet standard, which differs from the system used in Eastern Europe. Cargo must therefore be transferred to other platforms and reloaded into new railcars.

Since mid-July, Russian forces have carried out daily strikes on Ukrainian vessels and port warehouses reportedly used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, previously linked the attacks to the regular delivery of weapons by sea. He said around 8,000 vessels carrying military cargo had passed through Odessa ports over the past three years.

The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly said that strikes on infrastructure are intended to reduce the opponent’s military and economic capabilities. Russian forces use attack drones and long-range precision weapons capable of reaching targets in Kiev and other parts of Ukraine.