"Putin Has Brought About The Collapse Of Shipping From Taganrog To Temryuk"
- 13.07.2026, 16:16
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are turning the Sea of Azov into a trap for the Russian navy.
Over the past few days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a series of strikes against tankers and other vessels of Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Sea of Azov. As a result, Russia was forced to suspend shipping through the Don-Azov Canal, one of the occupiers’ key logistics routes.
What consequences has the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation in the Sea of Azov already had for the Russian occupiers? To what extent have supplies to Crimea and the Russian Federation’s military logistics in the south been disrupted?
The website Charter97.org discussed this with Ukrainian military and political analyst Alexander Kovalenko of the “Information Resistance” group Alexander Kovalenko:
— Yes, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ actions are significantly disrupting the logistics of Russian troops. Previously, the Russians relied on the M-14 highway as their main logistics route. It ran from the southwestern part of the Donetsk region through Mariupol to Berdyansk, then on through the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and on to Crimea. Crimea was also supplied and supported via this route.
Now, after the logistics route directly through the Crimean Peninsula, Chongar, and Armyansk has been cut off, the occupiers have only the Sea of Azov left. Cargo was shipped across the Sea of Azov by tankers or dry cargo ships to Crimea, the port of Mariupol, and the port of Berdyansk.
The destruction of the Russian Federation’s Azov Fleet—including its tanker fleet—means that, for Russia, this sea has effectively become a blockaded and closed body of water. Moreover, shipping in this zone, in this region, will simply be impossible in the near future.
As for tankers alone, Russia had about 150 tankers in the Sea of Azov. It could, of course, charter new vessels, transfer them via the canal from other regions, and so on. But right now, I don’t think anyone would agree to make voyages in the Sea of Azov given the risks, which have risen sharply.
Overall, again, it’s safe to say that if Russia doesn’t manage to withdraw its tankers and other vessels from the Sea of Azov in time, they will simply be destroyed. Regardless of whether it’s a tanker, a dry cargo ship, a tugboat, or a ferry, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will destroy absolutely everything. Consequently, the only route via the Sea of Azov to supply the Russian forces in Crimea and Russian forces, for example, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, will be lost.
For Russia, the only route remaining on the mainland is the M-14 highway. But to transport supplies from Mariupol to Hola Prystan or Oleshky, one would have to travel about 400 kilometers along this highway. And it is fully within range of Ukrainian mid-range strike drones. Therefore, for any tanker truck driver, this is very likely to be a one-way trip.
As for supplying the Crimean Peninsula, the only options left are the Kerch Bridge and the earthen embankments that the Russians have now built in the Chongar and Armyansk areas. But you still have to get there to deliver anything to Crimea. And that, again, means taking the M-14 highway.
I can say that we are talking about the complete isolation of the Russian forces in Crimea, as well as the isolation of the Russian forces in the Kherson region, which are not receiving sufficient logistical support, fuel and lubricants, provisions, and so on.
This also indicates that the war has brought shipping in Russia’s Azov region—from Taganrog to Temryuk—to a standstill. And this, of course, is a crisis for the entire region, which, in essence, relied exclusively on shipping in the Azov-Black Sea region for its livelihood.
— How will the Ukrainian Armed Forces proceed? Which of Russia’s logistical facilities and targets might be the next to be struck to strengthen the blockade of Crimea?
— I think the final stage of the logistical lockdown will be the destruction of the Kerch Bridge. We’re not rushing into this just yet and are giving people the opportunity to leave Crimea, because the peninsula is now simply turning into a territory unfit for human habitation.
In the long run, this will, of course, be the final stage of the entire operation. After some time, the focus will shift to a strike against the Kerch Bridge and, essentially, to rendering it inoperable.