Ukrainian ports on the Dnieper and Southern Bug have effectively lost their route to the Black Sea through the Dnieper-Bug Estuary. Russian forces have blocked vessel traffic in the area, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said.

According to Saldo, the estuary provides access to the Black Sea for ships operating from Kherson on the Dnieper and Nikolayev on the Southern Bug. He said Russian troops have effectively shut down passage along this route.

The governor added that navigation across the Black Sea basin, including traffic along the Dnieper, has now almost completely stopped.

The Dnieper-Bug Estuary lies in the northern part of the Black Sea within the Kherson and Nikolayev regions. It serves as the maritime outlet for ports located along the Dnieper and Southern Bug rivers.

The Financial Times previously reported mounting problems with Ukraine’s grain exports through the Black Sea. The newspaper linked the disruption to Russian strikes on military targets in port areas used to deliver supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Russian Defense Ministry has also reported strikes on port facilities and vessels used in support of the Ukrainian military. In late July, Ukrainian Agrarian Policy Minister Taras Vysotsky acknowledged that ships had stopped calling at Ukrainian ports. The disruption was accompanied by a transport collapse on the Polish-Ukrainian border.