Russia exports grain via Arctic port of Murmansk for the first time

Russia has begun using the Arctic port of Murmansk for the first time to export grain from Stavropol Krai amid problems with grain exports through the Black Sea.

Source: Latifundist.com, citing Russian media outlets, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda

Details: In October, Russia dispatched 40,000 tonnes of wheat from Stavropol Krai via the Arctic port of Murmansk.

"Russia is developing the new route amid problems with traditional grain export routes through the Black Sea. At the same time, transporting wheat to Murmansk costs 3 to 5 times more than through southern ports," the publication notes.

Potential grain transshipment volumes in Murmansk are estimated at 60,000 to 90,000 tonnes per month, or approximately 0.7 to 1.1 million tonnes per year.

For comparison, 46.3 million tonnes of grain were previously exported through the ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin.

"Thus, even at full capacity, Murmansk will be able to provide only a small fraction of these volumes," the report says.

One of the main problems with the new route is the need to deliver grain by rail from the southern regions of Russia to the Arctic port.

In addition, the infrastructure for grain cargo transshipment in Murmansk is currently underdeveloped.

Background:

• Russian grain exporters are trying to find new supply routes: the ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin are blocked, and exporting through the Baltic ports is too expensive.
• In Russia, grain shipments in the second ten days of September fell to 381,000 tonnes, compared to 1.6 million tonnes last year, as a result of Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on grain terminals in Novorossiysk and vessels in the Sea of Azov.
• Since July 2026, the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) have managed to disable 300 vessels of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet".
• It was previously reported that Russian grain exports, which bring about US$15 billion into the aggressor country's economy annually, have been almost completely paralysed by Ukrainian strikes on ports in the Azov and Black seas.
• In the first two weeks of August alone, the export of Ukrainian grain fell by 75% compared to the same period last year. Russian strikes almost halted transportation through Black Sea ports at the height of the harvest.

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