NATO military aid not reaching Ukraine via sea routes, Russian media report

NATO countries have halted the delivery of weapons and dual-use goods [items that can be used for both civilian and military purposes] to ports in Ukraine’s Odesa region due to daily strikes by Russian forces, a source in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv told RIA Novosti.

“Most of the cargo is accumulating at border crossings with Poland and Romania, as rail logistics cannot handle the volumes that were previously transported by sea. In addition, Ukraine uses Soviet-standard railway tracks, meaning the cargo must be transferred onto different platforms and wagons, making transportation more expensive and complicated,” the outlet’s source said.

Since mid-July, Russian forces have been carrying out daily strikes on Ukrainian vessels and port storage facilities, the report says. Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s Foreign Ministry ambassador-at-large, claimed that Kyiv uses the maritime route as a round-the-clock corridor for weapons deliveries.

He also claimed that around 8,000 vessels carrying military cargo have passed through Odesa’s ports over the past three years.