Russia Plans To Arm Civilian Grain Ships With Heavy Machine Guns In Sea Of Azov

Russia is considering arming civilian grain ships with heavy machine guns and mobile missile launchers, while deploying military escorts for vessels operating in the Sea of Azov, as Ukrainian drone attacks continue to disrupt one of the country’s main grain export routes.

Commercial shipping from Russia’s Sea of Azov ports was suspended about two weeks ago following strikes on ports, merchant vessels and other maritime infrastructure.

The Sea of Azov normally handles around one-quarter of Russia’s grain exports, making it a key route for the world’s largest wheat exporter.

According to Bloomberg, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Transport and the Federal Agency for Sea and River Transport are discussing new security measures with grain traders and shipowners to protect cargoes leaving the Sea of Azov.

The proposed measures include temporarily reinforcing bulk carriers with armor plating, sandbags, anti-drone mesh and mounting points for heavy machine guns, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg.

Under the proposal, soldiers armed with Kalashnikov rifles would board ships before departure, while heavy machine guns equipped with thermal or night-vision sights would be installed for the first part of the voyage.

The soldiers would leave the vessels after they pass through the Kerch Strait, taking the weapons and ammunition with them.

Russian officials are also discussing escorting grain ships in convoys between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea using military patrol boats.

According to people familiar with the talks, shipowners and grain traders would pay for both the vessel modifications and the military protection.

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on each other’s commercial ships and ports in the Black Sea over the past two weeks. The attacks have raised concerns about grain supplies and pushed wheat prices to their highest level in two years.

The disruption has also affected Russia’s grain exports during the peak harvest season, reducing export revenues and hurting farm incomes.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on July 28 that Russia’s navy is capable of protecting the country’s commercial fleet, referring to President Vladimir Putin’s statement that attacks on merchant vessels should be treated as acts of piracy.

Peskov also acknowledged that international law prohibits installing weapons on civilian ships, but he did not specifically comment on the proposed military escort teams.

Some traders and shipowners have questioned whether the proposed measures would be effective, while others have warned that the additional security requirements could increase operating costs.

Commercial vessel traffic at Russia’s Sea of Azov ports remains at a standstill, according to maritime analytics firm Logistic OS.

Agricultural consultancy SovEcon estimates Russia could lose between 500,000 and 1.5 million metric tons of grain exports each month if shipping restrictions in the Sea of Azov continue.

The disruption has also affected Ukraine’s exports. Shipments from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in Odesa have been halted since last week following Russian military strikes.

Traffic through Russia’s deep-water Black Sea ports has also declined, although those ports remain operational.

Russia is using rail subsidies to move cargo from the Sea of Azov to other export terminals, including Black Sea ports, after declaring Black Sea waters unsafe for shipping.

References: Bloomberg, united24media