Russian attacks on Ukraine's warehouses and transport routes squeeze agricultural exports
Russian attacks on warehouses, railways and ports are reducing Ukraine's capacity to move agricultural exports, with the country's central bank estimating that delayed export revenue will exceed $2 billion in the second half of 2026.
More than 25 Russian attacks damaged around 500,000 square meters (5.4 million square feet) of warehouse space in the first half of the year, Ukraine's Economy and Environment Ministry told hromadske.
Russia has also carried out more than 1,000 strikes on railway infrastructure and has systematically targeted ports in the Greater Odesa area, the ministry said.
The damage is forcing Ukrainian agricultural producers to redirect cargo to alternative rail and road routes and ports on the Danube.
Those routes are expected to provide capacity for about 2.5 million metric tons of exports per month between August and October, compared with the 4 million to 4.5 million tons Ukraine was previously able to ship monthly.
The National Bank of Ukraine estimates that the resulting delay in export revenue will exceed $2 billion in the second half of the year.
The Economy Ministry expects those exports to be made up during the first half of 2027 rather than permanently lost, meaning the disruption should largely shift the timing of tax revenue rather than significantly reduce annual receipts.
The attacks are also putting pressure on Ukraine's ability to store this year's harvest.
The ministry has warned that by October and November, the country could lack enough warehouse capacity to store as much as 11 million tons of crops.