Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said Operation MoLoChKa had hit 129 vessels in the Sea of Azov between July 6 and 28 and another 72 in the Black Sea since July 15.   The figures, which exclude attacks attributed to Ukraine’s security service and other military units, have not been independently verified. Brovdi said the campaign targets the smaller tankers and support ships feeding larger export vessels and supplying occupied Crimea, rather than sinking the export ships themselves.   With commercial movements through the Sea of Azov effectively suspended for the past fortnight, Russian military and transport officials are discussing a significant escalation in ship protection.

Proposals reported by Bloomberg include fitting grain carriers with armour, sandbags, anti-drone netting, mobile missile launchers and mounts for heavy machine guns equipped with thermal or night-vision sights.

Under one plan, Russian soldiers carrying assault rifles would board ships at Azov ports, while military teams temporarily installed heavier weapons. The personnel, guns and ammunition would be removed after vessels passed through the Kerch Strait.    Bulkers could also sail in convoys protected by patrol boats, with traders and owners expected to meet the cost of modifications and escorts. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s navy could protect commercial ships, while acknowledging that placing weapons on civilian vessels was prohibited under international law.      The proposal follows a precedent already detected in the Baltic, where recent photographs showed heavy machine guns mounted in sandbagged positions aboard the Gazprom-controlled LNG carrier Marshal Vasilevskiy.

Arming bulk carriers would carry significant consequences for crews, insurers and charterers. Ships displaying military weapons or carrying soldiers risk being treated as combat-support assets, potentially making them more rather than less attractive targets and complicating war-risk cover, port entry and flag-state oversight.

Russia, meanwhile, stepped up its own attacks on shipping over the past 24 hours.   The Russian Ministry of Defence said its forces struck at least two Ukrainian vessels on Tuesday. One was described as a bulk carrier carrying military equipment in Black Sea waters south of Odesa, while another was hit alongside infrastructure at Mykolaiv. Moscow said loading facilities, fuel and lubricant tanks used to support Ukrainian forces were also targeted. It did not identify the vessels or provide evidence supporting its description of their cargoes, and the claims could not be independently verified.

The reciprocal campaign is now disrupting export logistics on both sides of the sea.   Three Russian terminals—NZT and KSK at Novorossiysk and ZTKT at Taman—have restricted grain deliveries by truck as cargo diverted from the Sea of Azov overwhelms alternative gateways. The facilities can handle more than 20m tonnes annually, compared with total Russian seaborne grain exports of around 50m tonnes.    Port Kavkaz has been closed since restrictions were imposed on Azov traffic, while nighttime ship movements at Novorossiysk have been banned because of drone risk. Analysts estimate Russia could lose between 500,000 and 1.5m tonnes of grain exports each month if the disruption continues.

Ukraine’s export corridor is facing equally severe strain. Inbound vessel traffic has been suspended since July 23, with repeated attacks on ships and Odesa-area port infrastructure prompting operators including Maersk to halt services.      The disruption has spread beyond grain. Pivdennyi Mining and Processing Plant has started suspending extraction after several shiploads of iron ore accumulated at ports and company warehouses. With no space to store further production, the miner plans to keep extraction halted until August.      In related news, the US Senate last night advanced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by 86-12, targeting Russian officials, financial institutions, shadow fleet shipping and major buyers of Russian energy. The bill allows tariffs of up to 100% on leading purchasers and sanctions-evasion facilitators, plus duties of up to 500% on direct US imports from Russia. Shipping impacts could include reduced availability of older crude tonnage, cargo redirection and longer voyages. However, measures are discretionary, waivers remain possible and House action is delayed until after August 31.