Russian forces attacked at least 50 cargo ships in June and July, killing more than 30 civilians in a campaign that has severely disrupted shipping through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and raised fears of a renewed global food crisis.

The Ukrainian Maritime Union described the attacks as a “professional hunt for civilian vessels,” with maritime traffic through Odesa — a critical export hub for Ukraine’s massive wheat, corn and barley industry — brought nearly to a standstill.

The escalation comes as Ukrainian forces have also targeted Russian oil tankers in the Sea of Azov and near Crimea. Ukrainian forces recently carried out a combined attack on Russia’s Novorossiysk port as the battle over shipping routes intensifies.

Among the deadliest incidents was the July 19 attack on the Golden Leo, which was struck shortly after departing Odesa with a full cargo. Ten people were killed, including a Ukrainian pilot and nine crew members.

One survivor, 28-year-old Indian sailor Belson Sebastian, suffered first-degree burns and said the experience convinced him to abandon his career at sea, saying that “money is not greater than life.”

Maritime experts told The New York Times that the Russian attacks violate the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, accused Western countries this week of “piracy and robbery” over efforts to intercept vessels linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet and vowed that Moscow would respond.

The growing threat to commercial shipping has fueled concerns about global food supplies, recalling the severe disruptions and rising prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)