Russia has temporarily stopped shipping through the Don-Azov Channel, a waterway linking the Don River to the Sea of Azov, following a Ukrainian attack in which Ukrainian forces struck multiple Russian vessels (including tankers) in the Sea of Azov.

Separately, reports say Russian border guards informed shipping companies that all requests for passage through the Kerch Strait—connecting the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea—would be suspended from 6:10 p.m. local time on July 10. The notice, as described, did not specify when the restrictions would end.

Analysts highlighted that up to roughly a quarter of Russia’s wheat exports may pass through routes tied to the Sea of Azov, and that uncertainty about the availability of those routes contributed to increased wheat prices. The article also notes that Russia’s key grain-producing regions along the Sea of Azov and ports in the Kerch Strait area could be affected, while Russian agriculture and transport ministries did not respond to requests for comment.