Black Sea shipping attacks and EU sanctions (2024‑2026)

In early July 2024 a Ukrainian drone strike in Taganrog Bay hit four vessels, including a methanol‑laden tanker, killing a seaman. Russia responded with extensive anti‑drone operations and the shooting down of a Panama‑flagged cargo ship, killing three crew members. Greece’s shipping ministry warned Greek‑flagged ships in the Black Sea to boost security after a Russian missile damaged a corn‑carrying vessel near Odesa and sea‑drone attacks harmed two Greek‑operated tankers loading at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, highlighting rising threats to commercial traffic.

Two years later, on 22 July 2026 EU ambassadors reached a political agreement on the bloc’s 21st sanctions package against Russia. The deal freezes the EU‑wide oil‑price cap at $44.10 per barrel for 12 months, adds 32 Russian banks and crypto‑trading platforms to a transaction‑ban list, and expands restrictions to the Russian financial sector, oil‑trading platforms and the “shadow fleet”. Tighter controls target the Russian defence industry and EU visas for Russian combatants are limited. Greece secured a one‑year exemption—subject to annual review—to let its ships continue delivering Russian LNG to non‑EU buyers under pre‑2022 contracts, a concession that helped break a Greek veto. EU officials say the package maintains pressure on Russia and continues to weaken the economic foundations of its war effort.