Three Ports In Russia Are Paralyzed: The Governor Is In A Panic

6.11.2026, 8:55
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The Rostov Region of the Russian Federation has felt the effects of the Ukrainian strikes.

A Russian governor has effectively acknowledged the consequences of the Ukrainian strikes, which paralyzed operations at three seaports at once, and is now is asking the Kremlin to save the industry from financial collapse—companies cannot operate, but are forced to continue paying salaries to thousands of people and servicing loans, writes "Focus".

In Russia’s Rostov Region, operations at three seaports—in Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, and Azov—have effectively been suspended. The region’s governor Yuri Slyusar spoke about serious problems in the port industry, acknowledging that Ukrainian attacks have caused significant damage to the infrastructure. Now local authorities are appealing to the federal government for large-scale financial support, as businesses cannot operate at full capacity but continue to pay salaries, service loans, and cover rent.

Slyusar spoke about this on November 5 in an interview with the Russian television channel “Russia 24.”

According to according to the governor, all three seaports in the Rostov Region have effectively come to a standstill due to attacks by Ukrainian drones:

Rostov-on-Don is one of the region’s largest transportation and trade hubs;

Taganrog—a seaport on the coast of the Sea of Azov;

Azov—a port of vital importance for the transport of cargo across the Sea of Azov and the Don River.

Slyusar acknowledged that the Ukrainian attacks were directed specifically at port infrastructure. In particular, the attacks damaged berths, storage tanks, and cargo transshipment facilities.

“They bombed the ports, bombed the berthing walls, and bombed the storage tanks located at transshipment points,” the governor stated.

He confirmed that the enterprises have effectively ceased normal operations, and the industry’s financial problems continue to worsen.

Why the shutdown of ports has become a problem for the Russian economy

The port industry is a vital part of the Rostov Region’s economy. Freight flows pass through the local infrastructure, particularly agricultural products, which are of great importance to Russian exports.

According to Slyusar, about 7,000 people work at the three ports. Despite the de facto shutdown of operations, their managers and owners have not yet resorted to mass layoffs, as it will be difficult to find qualified workers once the ports resume operations.

“At all three of our ports—in Rostov, Taganrog, and Azov—work has effectively been suspended. At the same time, the loans remain, and the obligation to pay wages also remains,” the governor lamented.

According to him, companies continue to pay wages to employees, cover rent, and meet their loan obligations. Slyusar acknowledged that this is leading to a rapid deterioration in the financial situation of the port companies.

“If we don’t provide this industry with radical support now, we will lose it,” the governor stated.

The governor appealed to the Kremlin for help

To save the companies, the governor proposed a series of measures:

a moratorium on tax payments. This would allow businesses to temporarily reduce their financial burden;
preferential lending. The governor proposes providing port companies with access to loans at reduced interest rates, similar to the support provided to agriculture;
rent relief. This involves a temporary reduction or deferral of rent payments for infrastructure used by businesses, particularly at Rosmorport.

According to Slyusar, some of the necessary decisions depend on regional authorities, but the main powers lie with federal agencies. Therefore, he hopes that the Russian government will support the proposed measures.

The governor also noted that similar difficulties have arisen in the Krasnodar Krai, particularly in the Tuapse and Novorossiysk districts. However, in his assessment, the situation in the Rostov Region is one of the most challenging.

How significant are the losses incurred by Russian ports

Local authorities reported on the problems facing the port industry in the Rostov Region as early as October 2026. At that time, Yuri Slyusar stated that cargo transshipment volumes had fallen by 65% due to shipping restrictions.

According to his estimates, in just one month, stevedoring companies lost about 3.5 billion rubles in revenue, and shipping companies lost another 1.8 billion rubles.

Thus, the combined total of lost revenue for these two categories of businesses amounted to approximately 5.3 billion rubles.

However, in an interview on November 2, Yuri Slyusar complained that after the harvest began, attacks on port infrastructure became more frequent, and subsequently, on individual civilian vessels as well. Among them, he mentioned grain carriers, dry cargo ships, and escort vessels.

According to him, this led to a virtual halt in shipping in the Azov and, subsequently, the Black Sea basins. Russian exporters faced problems exporting grain, and businesses struggled to generate revenue.

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