The Ukrainian military has launched a massive drone offensive on the Sea of Azov, a key logistics gateway in southern Russia, effectively paralyzing maritime traffic in the region.

As a result, Russia's grain export routes and military supply lines have been severed, leading analysts to suggest that the country is facing a logistical isolation crisis comparable to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East.

According to reports from CNN and Reuters on July 15 (local time), Russian authorities have completely suspended vessel traffic through the Don-Azov Canal and the Kerch Strait—the two major strategic points in the Sea of Azov—following an unprecedented surge in the intensity of Ukrainian drone strikes in the area.

The Don-Azov Canal connects the Sea of Azov to Russia's inland waterways.

The Kerch Strait serves as the only maritime passage linking the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.

Satellite imagery and vessel tracking services have captured images of numerous ships lined up at both ends of the Sea of Azov, waiting for transit to resume.

CNN assessed that this situation is a result of a shift in the war's momentum brought about by Ukraine's drone tactics.

Robert Brovdi, commander of a Ukrainian drone unit, announced on July 14 that his forces had struck 116 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov over the past nine days alone.

While previous strikes were primarily limited to Russia's shadow tanker fleet or warships, the scope of the attacks has now expanded to include civilian cargo ships and overall logistics.

The blockade of the Sea of Azov is also delivering a critical blow to the export of Russian agricultural products, such as wheat and sunflower oil, which are not subject to sanctions by the United States and other Western nations.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter, accounting for approximately one-fifth of global wheat exports, with about 25 percent of that volume transported via the Sea of Azov.

Andrey Sizov, an agricultural market expert, stated, "The status of the Black Sea in the wheat market is like that of the Persian Gulf in the crude oil market," adding, "If this situation persists, Russia's economic losses will reach billions of dollars."

International wheat futures prices have already been showing a sharp upward trend due to the impact of the situation in the Sea of Azov.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S. think tank, explained that "Ukraine's recent strikes are part of an operation to completely isolate the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and disrupt maritime transport routes for Russian grain and petroleum products."

Russia is reacting strongly.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the attacks, stating, "Ukraine's strikes on the Sea of Azov go beyond acts of piracy; they are typical acts of terrorism."

The Sea of Azov, which borders the Crimean Peninsula, has served as a maritime gateway for transporting oil, steel, and grain from southern Russia to the rest of the world since the late 17th century.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, President Vladimir Putin has seized control of the entire Sea of Azov and declared it an internal sea of Russia.