On August 8, 2026, Turkey began restricting commercial ship traffic through the Dardanelles Strait toward Russia's Novorossiysk port and Ukrainian destinations following a surge in maritime attacks. The restrictions follow drone strikes that damaged Turkish-owned vessels and injured crew members. In response, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan proposed a mutual moratorium on Black Sea shipping attacks. The escalation stems from Ukraine's 'Operation Molochka' targeting Russia's shadow fleet and retaliatory Russian strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure.
Turkey's Black Sea shipping restrictions
- ▪Turkey's Directorate General of Coastal Safety began restricting commercial ship traffic bound for Russia's Novorossiysk port by withholding transit permits or delaying applications through the Dardanelles Strait on August 8, 2026.
- ▪The Turkish shipping restrictions on August 8, 2026, reportedly also applied to commercial vessels heading to Ukrainian ports, while ships bound for Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, and Turkey remained unaffected.
Escalating attacks on civilian vessels
- ▪A drone strike on August 3-4, 2026, near Russia's Novorossiysk port damaged the Turkish-owned cargo ship Nadezhda and injured crew members aboard at least two vessels.
- ▪A drone attack on a Turkish-flagged fishing vessel near occupied Crimea killed one person and injured four others during the summer maritime escalation.
Turkish moratorium proposal
- ▪Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Ukraine had submitted a proposal for a Black Sea shipping moratorium, which Turkey passed to Russian officials for a response.
- ▪Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on Russia and Ukraine on August 8, 2026, to establish a mutual moratorium on attacking commercial vessels in the Black Sea.
Ukraine's Operation Molochka
- ▪According to Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Ukrainian drones struck 218 Russian shadow fleet vessels, including 134 in the Sea of Azov and 84 in the Black Sea, since July 6, 2026.
- ▪Ukraine launched Operation Molochka on July 6, 2026, a maritime campaign targeting Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to isolate the occupied Crimea peninsula.
Russia's strikes on Ukrainian ports
- ▪Russia's Defence Ministry stated on August 8, 2026, that its forces used precision weapons and drones to strike Ukrainian military warehouses and cargo vessels in the ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv.
- ▪Russia conducted 35 attacks on ships in Ukrainian ports, 22 attacks on vessels at sea, and 67 strikes on port infrastructure during July 2026, forcing shipowners to temporarily suspend voyages to Odesa.
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