Russia Prepares to Arm Grain Vessels Amid Ukraine Conflict
Russia's military and transport authorities are considering arming grain-carrying vessels in the Sea of Azov with machine guns, mobile missile launchers, and other defensive systems to protect them from Ukrainian drone attacks.
The proposals come as shipping in the Sea of Azov has virtually come to a halt over the past two weeks following attacks on ports, vessels, and maritime infrastructure. Logistics analytics firm Logistic OS reports that commercial vessel traffic at Russia's Azov Sea ports has almost disappeared, while SovEcon estimates that Russia could lose between 0.5 million and 1.5 million tons of grain exports per month if the restrictions remain in place.
The proposed measures include temporarily fitting bulk carriers with armor plating, sandbags, anti-drone mesh, and specially prepared mounts for heavy machine guns equipped with thermal or night-vision sights. The plan also includes escorting vessels with military patrol boats and deploying armed military teams on board during the first part of the voyage.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that maritime security remains a key concern and described attacks on merchant vessels as acts of piracy. However, he acknowledged that international law prohibits installing weapons on civilian ships and declined to comment directly on reports of possible military escorts.