The Summer Odesa’s Port Was Shut Down by Attacks — Where Is Ukraine’s Grain Leaving From?

On 23 September 2026, Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food announced that agricultural exports in the first 20 days of September were “44% of the export volume that could be expected from current production.” In August, the figure was about 30%. Minister Taras Vysotskyi said the situation in September is better than in August but “remains difficult,” and that the top priority is “restoring normal exports through the ports of Greater Odesa,” alongside expanding alternative routes in parallel.

“Greater Odesa” refers to the three ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. This summer, ships effectively stopped entering them. This article traces, in order from 2022, the routes Ukrainian grain has taken out of the country.

Three routes used since 2022

The Black Sea Grain Initiative (July 2022 – July 2023)

After Russia’s full-scale invasion, exports from Black Sea ports stopped for a time. What resumed them was the “Black Sea Grain Initiative,” brokered by the UN and Turkey and concluded in July 2022. Ukraine and Russia both signed it, and it covered the three ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. Per a UN summary, under this framework 730 vessels made 1,004 voyages, carrying 32.9 million tonnes of foodstuffs — over 16.8 million tonnes of corn and 8.9 million tonnes of wheat among them.

Russia did not agree to extend it beyond 18 July 2023, withdrawing its guarantee of safe navigation in the northwestern Black Sea (UN).

Ukraine’s own maritime corridor (August 2023–)

After that, Ukraine set up its own shipping route, without international guarantees. Per Ukraine’s Maritime and Inland Water Transport Administration, a temporary maritime corridor opened on 16 August 2023, with a container ship leaving the port of Odesa that same day. The administration states that agricultural exports reached pre-war levels within 8 months of the corridor starting operation.

The ministry responsible for infrastructure (named, as of 2026, the Ministry for Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure) announced on 29 July 2026 that since the corridor began operating, 209.3 million tonnes of cargo had passed through the ports of Greater Odesa, of which 124.1 million tonnes was grain, carried by 8,222 vessels. The ministry dates the corridor’s start to “September 2023,” a month later than the date given by the transport administration above.

The EU’s “Solidarity Lanes” (May 2022–)

As an alternative while the sea route was unusable, the EU launched the “EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes” with Ukraine and Moldova in May 2022. This is an umbrella term for routes — inland waterways such as the Danube, rail, and road — carrying cargo to ports and markets on the EU side. Per the European Commission, from May 2022 through July 2026, Ukraine exported about 255 million tonnes of grain, oilseeds and related products, of which 40% went via the Solidarity Lanes and 60% via Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

The three figures count different things. The UN counts “foodstuffs”; the ministry responsible for infrastructure counts “cargo” and, within it, “grain”; the European Commission counts “grain, oilseeds and related products.” For comparing routes, it is safer to use a ratio published by a single body using a single definition.

The weight the three Greater Odesa ports carried

Even after the full-scale invasion, Black Sea ports remained the center of exports. The ministry responsible for infrastructure states that the ports of Greater Odesa have carried about 90% of Ukraine’s agricultural exports, sent to more than 55 countries. Of the 46 million tonnes of cargo handled at sea ports from the start of 2026 through the 29 July announcement, 42.2 million tonnes went through Greater Odesa and 3.8 million tonnes through the Danube ports.

The European Commission’s monthly figures show the same pattern. In July 2026, about 80% of exports of grain, oilseeds and related products went via the Black Sea and about 20% via the Solidarity Lanes, with about 2.4 million tonnes passing through the Black Sea corridor that month. For exports other than agricultural products, meanwhile, the Solidarity Lanes accounted for about 95%, and for imports about 90%. This shows that the sea corridor was, above all, a route for grain.

July 2026: attacks on ports and ships

On 19 July 2026, the foreign-flagged cargo ship Golden Leo, loaded with grain, was hit in a Russian missile strike, killing people including a Ukrainian pilot. Per the Ukrainian news site LB.ua, the ministry responsible for infrastructure announced that, over the single month of July, there were 67 attacks on port facilities, 35 attacks on civilian ships within ports, and 22 attacks on ships sailing the maritime corridor.

The Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), a Polish public research institute, reported in an analysis dated 28 July that Minister Vysotskyi said on 22 July, “No merchant ship entered a Black Sea port that day,” and that, before that, reports had said insurers had stopped writing new coverage. On 29 July, the ministry responsible for infrastructure stated that, due to the most recent large-scale attacks, ship entries had “effectively, temporarily stopped,” while adding that the ports themselves continued to operate. No formal decision to close the corridor has been issued.

How much can the Danube, rail, and trucks carry?

When the sea route is unusable, what remains is the Solidarity Lanes routes. An announcement by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, posted on the government portal on 14 August, states that agricultural exports from 1 to 12 August were about 590,000 tonnes, only “30% of the necessary volume,” broken down as 40–45% by rail, 40–45% via the Danube region, and about 10% by truck. The ministry estimated that, even running the alternative routes at maximum capacity, exports could not exceed 50% of the usual volume while the ports remain blocked.

The Danube ports are centered on Izmail and Reni. Per OSW, at their 2023 peak the Danube ports handled nearly 3 million tonnes of cargo a month, about 80% of it agricultural products. Much of it is carried by barge to the Romanian port of Constanța and transferred to larger ships. The same analysis notes, however, that in 2025 Ukraine’s Black Sea ports handled 73.3 million tonnes against the Danube ports’ 8.9 million tonnes, and that record-low water levels on the Danube have cut barge loading capacity by up to 60%.

Costs are rising too. In an announcement on 11 August, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food explained that transport costs to Constanța could reach about $170 a tonne, and revised minimum export prices to reflect this. On 23 September, Minister Vysotskyi said that alternative routes face not only physical limits but economic ones, and that for some commodities, transport costs make exporting a loss.

The Danube’s course, the border it forms, and the location of Ukraine’s ports are covered in this article on Ukraine’s rivers and climate.

The start of the 2026/27 marketing year

Grain exports are counted by “marketing year,” running from July to the following June. Per figures the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food publishes based on customs data, exports for 2026/27, as of 21 September, are as follows.

The total is about 20% below the same period the year before. Wheat and barley fell sharply, while corn is double the year-earlier figure. However, the prior-year figure’s reference date is 3 days later, and this compares only the first not-quite-three months of the marketing year. Since corn harvesting typically picks up from autumn each year, this point-in-time figure cannot indicate the trend for the year as a whole.

The ministry states that, in a pessimistic scenario where ports remain unusable for a long time, annual agricultural exports could fall by up to 30 million tonnes, losing up to $10 billion in export revenue. At the same time, it says domestic consumption is only about 25–30% of the harvest, so there is no basis for a food shortage. This is the ministry’s own outlook, not an actual result.

Figures to watch when tracking grain’s way out

This situation changes week by week. When following it, keeping these figures sorted by which body published them makes it easier to avoid confusion.

• Cumulative export volume for the marketing year: compiled by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food (customs data). This is a “grain and pulses” figure and does not include sunflower oil or meal
• The “what percent of normal” ratio: statements by the minister of the same ministry. The denominator is something like “the export volume that could be expected from current production,” and the wording differs from announcement to announcement
• Cargo volume by port and cumulative corridor totals: the ministry responsible for infrastructure and the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (АМПУ)
• The Solidarity Lanes/Black Sea ratio: the European Commission’s (Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport) monthly figures

The procedure for importing Ukrainian food into Japan is covered in the procedure and contact points for importing Ukrainian food into Japan, and the weight agriculture carries within exports is covered in Ukrainian industry in wartime.