Russia has temporarily suspended all navigation through the Don-Azov Canal and halted applications for transit through the crucial Kerch Strait following a massive overnight Ukrainian drone operation targeting maritime traffic in the Sea of Azov.

According to three sources within Russia’s grain export industry, border guards notified shipping companies that applications for vessel passage through the strait which bridges the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea would no longer be accepted. Given that up to one-quarter of Russia’s wheat exports transit through the Sea of Azov, the sudden closure of this strategic commercial corridor triggered immediate global economic ripple effects, driving wheat futures on the Euronext exchange up by as much as four percent to a six-week high over supply chain anxieties.

The severe maritime restrictions follow an ambitious operation by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, which deployed waves of drones to strike 21 Russian tankers and seven auxiliary vessels, resulting in 73 successful hits across the Sea of Azov.

According to Ukrainian military officials, the targeted tankers belonged to Russia’s heavily sanctioned “shadow fleet,” which Moscow utilizes to covertly transport oil and petroleum products to generate state revenue for its ongoing war effort.

The drone strikes also damaged four tugboats, two dry cargo vessels, and a specialized vessel, all of which Ukraine asserts are vital links in Russia’s military logistical support network and port infrastructure. Ukrainian command noted that the operation was part of a larger campaign that successfully targeted 53 military installations, naval assets, and energy infrastructure across occupied Crimea and southern Russian territories.