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 sancti

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.