Russia's state news agency puts Ukraine's port losses above $7 billion as Kyiv reports 630 locomotives destroyed

TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported that Ukraine has lost more than $7 billion from nearly four months of port downtime. It said commercial ships continue to avoid the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi (Yuzhny in Russian). The figure comes from a party to the war, and Kyiv has not confirmed it. Independent reporting supports the direction. By July 23, merchant ships had stopped calling at Ukraine's Black Sea ports even though the government had not closed them. Bloomberg, citing Kpler data, reported that weekly grain and oilseed exports fell by more than 90% from early July. The Agriculture Ministry warned that storage could run out by early November if exports did not recover.

Russian strikes have also hit rail, the main alternative route to the ports. Ukrinform, the state news agency, quoted an official named Kalashnyk as saying Ukraine has lost 630 locomotives to Russian attacks since the full-scale invasion began, nearly 400 of them this year. Each side publicizes the other's losses. Moscow's figure stresses what Ukraine is losing, and Kyiv's emphasizes Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Kyiv is preparing for a winter of attacks on its power grid. President Volodymyr Zelensky met mayors from across the country on winter preparations and said the meetings will become regular. Ukraine, for its part, is continuing drone strikes on Russian refineries and logistics. Each side is trying to reduce the other's export income.