Russian forces target key Odesa bridge to disrupt Ukrainian grain exports – ISW

Ukrainian authorities temporarily restricted traffic on the M-15 Odesa City-Reni highway following Russian strikes, before partially reopening the route a few hours later. Russian “milbloggers” also reported the strike, offering contradictory assessments of the aftermath. While one blogger claimed the bridge was destroyed, others published footage purporting to show that it remains operational. A local news outlet for Izmail City reported that the strike damaged the bridge.

ISW analysts noted that Russian forces previously struck the Mayaki bridge in December 2025. The analysts added that Russian forces likely targeted the bridge “to disrupt Ukrainian grain and other exports via the alternative land corridor that Ukraine has been using since Russian strikes disrupted Ukrainian maritime exports.”

Russian forces have been intensifying their efforts to degrade Ukraine’s export capacity since July 2026. Then Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi reported that Russian strikes destroyed 60,000 tons of grain in the Chornomorsk port in Odesa Oblast on the night of July 19. Ukrainian Navy Spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk stated on July 31 that Russian strikes damaged more than 20 ships near the Black Sea and substantially slowed cargo flows in the shipping corridor. Ukraine’s main farmers union, Ukrainian Agri Council, stated on July 15 that Ukraine has lost about one third of its grain export capacity due to Russian missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian port infrastructure.

Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi recently reported that Russian strikes have forced Ukraine to seek alternative routes via the Danube River for its grain and cargo exports.

Russian forces are likely shifting their strike targets from the Ukrainian sea corridor to the land corridor to specifically prevent Ukrainian grain exports and generally degrade the Ukrainian economy, ISW analysts concluded.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on August 9 that Turkey proposed a Russian Ukrainian moratorium on strikes against merchant ships in the Black Sea. Fidan stated that Russia and Ukraine received the proposal and that Turkey is waiting for a response.