politics
Ukrainian Patrols Intercept Russian Drones While Strikes Continue on Odesa Export Corridor
Ukrainian navy boats are intercepting Russian drones that target merchant vessels and port infrastructure in the Black Sea. The patrols follow Russia's 2023 withdrawal from a U.N. grain deal and subsequent intensification of strikes on Ukraine's maritime export route.
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Ukrainian navy patrol boats are intercepting Russian naval drones that target merchant vessels and port facilities near Odesa, washingtontimes.com reported on June 27, 2026. On a gray Monday morning, one patrol boat moved through choppy waters off Odesa with a sailor scanning the horizon through binoculars. The boat carries machine guns, including a Browning mounted on a forward turret.
Sailors displayed video of a disabled Russian drone floating on the surface after interception. Mykola, the boat's pilot and a former merchant sailor, said the main goal is to keep merchant ships operating so Ukraine can earn export revenue. He added that the patrols also protect coastal areas by stopping drones before they reach land.
At the start of the February 2022 invasion, Russia's Black Sea fleet held a near stranglehold over Ukraine's coast. Ukrainian anti-ship missiles sank the flagship Moskva near Snake Island two months later. Ukraine then expanded its coastal missiles and naval drones, forcing repeated Russian withdrawals from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk.
Russian vessels are no longer considered entirely safe at Novorossiysk. -brokered grain deal in 2023. Russian drones now strike daily at merchant ships, port workers, and export infrastructure.
