Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said Russia’s operating
refineries are increasingly depleted and hostilities have spread to maritime
routes. After a series of strikes on Russian vessels, Moscow has suspended
navigation on the Azov-Don waterway and the Kerch Strait, cutting the link
between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Gerashchenko said the Azov-Don route
is a key conduit for Russian military logistics, cargo transport, port
maintenance and the circumvention of sanctions for oil products; its suspension
disrupts a primary export and supply corridor used to ship seized goods and
generate revenue that funds procurement of weapons including Iskander missiles
and KAB-guided bombs. He identified Taganrog and Azov ports and a ‘shadow fleet’
network as implicated in the trade channel.
