Russia plans to arm grain-carrying vessels with machine guns

Russian authorities are considering equipping civilian grain-carrying vessels with machine guns, mobile missile launchers and other defensive systems to protect them from Ukrainian drone attacks. According to Bloomberg, the proposals are being discussed by Russia’s military and transport authorities together with shipowners and grain traders amid the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Sea of Azov.

According to the report, shipping in the Sea of Azov, which normally handles about a quarter of Russia’s grain exports, has virtually come to a halt over the past two weeks following attacks on ports, vessels and maritime infrastructure. Logistics analytics firm Logistic OS says commercial vessel traffic at Russia’s Azov Sea ports has almost disappeared, while SovEcon estimates that Russia could lose between 0.5 mln and 1.5 mln 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. The troops would disembark after the ships pass through the Kerch Strait, taking their weapons with them to formally comply with the international prohibition on arming civilian vessels.

The Kremlin confirmed that maritime security remains a key concern. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s navy is capable of protecting commercial shipping and described attacks on merchant vessels as acts of piracy. At the same time, he acknowledged that international law prohibits installing weapons on civilian ships and declined to comment directly on reports of possible military escorts.

Bloomberg notes that the proposals highlight the growing impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s grain exports. The disruption has already reduced exporters’ and farmers’ revenues and has been one of the factors pushing global wheat prices to their highest level in nearly two years. Cargo flows through Russia’s deep-water Black Sea ports have also declined, although those ports remain operational.

Some market participants remain skeptical about the proposed measures, arguing that retrofitting vessels and providing military escorts could prove too costly while offering no guarantee of full protection against attacks. At the same time, Russia is attempting to redirect part of its grain exports to other ports by subsidizing rail transportation, but analysts say these measures can only partially offset the loss of capacity on the Azov route.

Tags: Russia, export, grain, war