Russia has suspended crude oil exports from the Sheskharis terminal at the port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea, its main oil export facility on the waterway, after repeated Ukrainian drone strikes left storage tanks at capacity and forced tankers to depart without cargo.
The shutdown, reported by Reuters on August 14 citing three industry sources, follows a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Novorossiysk overnight on August 12 that damaged the terminal and forced a halt to loading operations. A tanker that had been scheduled to load a crude shipment left the port empty after a fresh drone threat on August 14 prompted authorities to suspend work at the facility.
The Sheskharis terminal processes roughly 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil and serves as Russia’s primary outlet for Black Sea energy exports. According to one of Reuters’ sources, nearly 1 million barrels of Russian crude were loaded per day at Novorossiysk in July alone. Loadings had reached approximately 800,000 barrels per day in June, underscoring the facility’s central role in Moscow’s war economy.
Ukrainian strikes escalate port warfare
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the August 12 operation against Novorossiysk as a “unique operation” involving Palianytsia jet-powered drones, Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles, and naval drones. The attack struck Russian air-defense positions, piers, and port infrastructure, Zelensky said. Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported that the strike killed an 8-year-old boy and injured eight others, including a child.
The Novorossiysk port also houses a naval base used by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, making it a dual military and commercial target. After the strike, Zelensky vowed to continue targeting Russian ports in retaliation for ballistic missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. “The occupation fleet and all the infrastructure supporting it will not be safe as long as Russian aggression continues,” he said.
Black Sea truce rejected as grain crisis deepens
The terminal shutdown comes as Russia has flatly rejected Ukraine’s proposal for a mutual truce in the Black Sea. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said reviving the 2022-2023 Black Sea grain initiative would be “ill-advised.” Ukraine’s grain exports have already tumbled 76 percent amid the port strikes, according to earlier reports.
The cascading damage to Russian export infrastructure extends beyond Novorossiysk. Overnight on August 14, Ukrainian forces struck the Ust-Luga port in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast, damaging two processing plants and sparking a fire at one of Russia’s largest Baltic Sea oil terminals. The Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery in Bashkortostan was also hit on August 13, extending Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign across Russia’s energy network.
Industry analysts warn that if Ukrainian strikes continue to disrupt Novorossiysk operations, insurance rates for Black Sea shipping could climb further, raising freight costs and tightening global crude supply. The closure of Russia’s largest Black Sea oil terminal marks a significant escalation in the economic dimension of the conflict, directly targeting Moscow’s ability to fund its war through energy revenues.
Sources: Reuters; Kyiv Independent; RBC-Ukraine
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