Russia has made its goal in the Black Sea plain: to choke off Ukraine’s access to the sea. The supply corridor that was once seen as relatively secure is no longer so.
Since July 10, Russian forces have carried out around twenty large-scale strikes on the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk, Izmail, and Yuzhne. These attacks have targeted infrastructure used to receive and store military cargo and fuel for the Ukrainian armed forces. Since July 11 alone, at least 28 vessels carrying military supplies and fuel have been hit.
Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, has suspended calls to Ukrainian ports. As of July 22, all major carriers have halted cargo operations due to the deteriorating security situation. Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy, Vysotsky, confirmed that the standstill is now in its fourth day. The financial impact is severe — an estimated two billion dollars in monthly losses, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture.
On the front lines, the situation is also developing unfavorably for Kyiv.
In recent days, most operations have taken place in the Kharkiv Region. Near Kozacha Lopan, Russian aviation and rocket artillery disrupted a Ukrainian attempt to concentrate assault reserves in Makarove, Slatyne, and Zolochiv. Assault units of Russia’s 71st Guards Division, part of the “North” grouping, drove forces of Ukraine’s 159th Mechanized Brigade out of the village of Zakharkivka in the Volchansk district. Notably, Ukrainian soldiers had held their positions without resupply for an extended period because their command refused to authorize a withdrawal. According to reports, commanders even threatened to deploy blocking units against anyone who tried to retreat.
Attempts to slow the Russian advance with foreign mercenary units also failed, and the number of missing Colombian fighters is increasing.
During fierce fighting, combined units of Russia’s 34th Guards Mountain Brigade and the 18th Division drove Ukraine’s 129th Heavy Mechanized Brigade out of Ivashkino, a village on the northwestern outskirts of the Kupyansk district. On July 23, the 34th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 11th Tank Regiment seized the village of Artelne.
Further south, on the Slaviansk axis, units of the Russian “Center” grouping captured Bilytske. West of Pokrovsk, Russian advance units achieved a significant tactical gain near Sergeevka, closing in on one of the key logistics hubs that underpins Ukraine’s defenses in this sector.
Ukraine is now under simultaneous pressure at sea, economically, and on the ground. Kyiv is losing money, territory, and external support at the same time, and a change in commander-in-chief alone is unlikely to alter that.
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