According to Sergei Lebedev, coordinator of the Nikolayev underground, the main flow of cargo intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been rerouted through the Odessa region following the shutdown of Black Sea ports.
Lebedev said shipments from Romania and Moldova are now being moved across the Danube and Dniester by ferry. From there, the cargo is distributed across Ukraine by rail and truck.
Citing reports from the western part of the Odessa region border, he said roads are packed with trucks and the railway is operating under increased pressure as a result of the suspension of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
According to Lebedev, ammonia, propane and grain are being transported westward out of Ukraine. In the opposite direction, fuel, shells, missiles, armoured vehicles and other military cargo are being delivered. He also claimed that Ukrainian authorities sometimes restrict the movement of food products across the border in order to speed up military logistics for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Earlier, Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky said ships had stopped calling at Ukrainian ports. He stressed that the decision had been made by shipowners rather than imposed by the authorities.
Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, had also said earlier that Ukraine uses maritime routes to receive weapons. According to his figures, around 8,000 vessels carrying military cargo passed through Odessa ports over three years. He cited this as the reason for strikes on the relevant facilities.