Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reported on Thursday that a Russian missile struck a cargo ship transporting wheat to Egypt in the Black Sea, near Romania.

If confirmed, this would represent the first direct attack on a grain ship in international waters since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, signalling a potential escalation in the conflict.

Zelensky shared on social media that there were no casualties, and Ukraine’s military indicated the attack was carried out by cruise missiles launched from strategic bombers.

MORE NEWS | Survey respondents against National Park

MORE NEWS | Labour must improve rural policy for food security

Ukraine, one of the largest global grain exporters, plays a vital role in supplying countries across the Middle East and Africa. These exports are crucial to the Ukrainian economy, and any disruption could have significant consequences.

At the war's outset, Russia blockaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, halting trade. A UN-brokered deal in July 2022 created a shipping corridor, but Russia withdrew from the agreement a year later.

Ukraine reacted with drone and missile strikes, pushing Russian forces out of the eastern Black Sea and allowing trade to resume in a coastal corridor. Although shipment volumes returned to prewar levels, this progress is now under threat.

The ship in question, the Aya, sailing under Saint Kitts and Nevis’ flag, departed from Ukraine’s port of Chornomorsk on Thursday morning, according to maritime risk analyst Tomas Alexa.

Traveling in a convoy, the ship was struck on its port side, causing damage to its cargo hold, but it managed to continue its journey. The vessel was reported to have no risk of sinking during its shipment through Romania's port of Constanta, Alexa added.

Saint Kitts and Nevis, often used as a flag of convenience by shippers, lacks the military capacity to respond to such an attack. Ukraine’s Navy condemned Russia’s ‘complete disregard’ for maritime law, while a Kremlin spokesperson did not immediately comment.

Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command, said the ship was hit by a Russian missile in Romania's exclusive economic zone, not Ukraine's grain corridor.

Under international law, the exclusive economic zone is distinct from Romania’s sovereign territorial waters, reducing the political severity of the incident.

NATO has yet to comment on the situation.

Sal Gilbertie, president of U.S. based advisory firm Teucrium, noted that Ukraine accounts for 5% of global wheat exports and 10% of corn. While wheat markets remained stable following the attack, Gilbertie emphasised the broader significance, calling it ‘an attack on food’.

Zelensky reiterated the importance of safeguarding Ukraine’s food exports to countries in Africa and the Middle East, many of which face food insecurity. He underscored the priority of protecting Ukraine’s ports and ensuring global food supplies.

The Black Sea has been a key battleground in the war. Ukraine has launched several attacks on Russia's navy, including sinking its Black Sea fleet's flagship in April 2022. Despite an ongoing blockade, this marks the first attack on commercial shipping. Talks between Russia and Turkey to avoid strikes on civilian ships had been under consideration, but they collapsed following Ukraine’s incursions into Russia's Kursk region.