Nearly 30 Ships Stop Around Ukraine’s Izmail Gateway after Russian Danube Strikes

A cargo ship sails followed by a Ukrainian Coast Guard cutter through the Bystre rivermouth, which connects the Black Sea and Danube, at a location given as Izmail district of Odesa region, Ukraine in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on July 15, 2022. (Operational Command South press service/Handout via Reuters)
A cargo ship sails followed by a Ukrainian Coast Guard cutter through the Bystre rivermouth, which connects the Black Sea and Danube, at a location given as Izmail district of Odesa region, Ukraine in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on July 15, 2022. (Operational Command South press service/Handout via Reuters)
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Nearly 30 Ships Stop Around Ukraine’s Izmail Gateway after Russian Danube Strikes

A cargo ship sails followed by a Ukrainian Coast Guard cutter through the Bystre rivermouth, which connects the Black Sea and Danube, at a location given as Izmail district of Odesa region, Ukraine in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on July 15, 2022. (Operational Command South press service/Handout via Reuters)
A cargo ship sails followed by a Ukrainian Coast Guard cutter through the Bystre rivermouth, which connects the Black Sea and Danube, at a location given as Izmail district of Odesa region, Ukraine in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on July 15, 2022. (Operational Command South press service/Handout via Reuters)

Almost 30 ships dropped anchor near Ukraine's crucial Izmail port terminal after Russia destroyed grain warehouses on the Danube river on Monday, data showed, although it was unclear exactly what had caused them to stop.

Monday's pre-dawn Russian air strikes wounded seven people and hit infrastructure along the Danube, a vital alternative route for Ukrainian grain since the demise last week of a year-old deal allowing safe exports via the Black Sea. Kyiv said the attack was an expansion of an air campaign Russia launched last week after pulling out of the grain deal.

According to Reuters calculations, based on ship tracking data from analytics company MarineTraffic, some 29 vessels, which also included chemical tankers, had stopped around Izmail.

A further three vessels had also dropped anchor along the waterway leading to the terminal of Reni-Odesa, the data showed.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.

Insurance industry sources have said war risk cover for Ukraine's ports that were part of the previous grain deal had been suspended. On Monday, three sources said some providers were also reviewing whether to continue to provide cover for Danube ports.

"The premiums for those that are still quoting is going to go up," one source said.

Since the collapse of the grain corridor deal and the increased targeting of ports and infrastructure by Russia, war risk underwriters were "forming their own independent views and deciding what is it is they are prepared to underwrite," David Smith, head of hull and marine liabilities at insurance broker McGill, told Reuters.

"The difficulty here is that unlike a rateable commodity, insurance costs for Ukraine right now are un-modellable."



Germany Seeks Israeli Partnership on Cyberdefense, Plans 'Cyber Dome'

Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Sinan Selen, Vice-President of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (not pictured), attend a press conference to present the 'Constitution Protection Report 2024' in Berlin, Germany June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo
Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Sinan Selen, Vice-President of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (not pictured), attend a press conference to present the 'Constitution Protection Report 2024' in Berlin, Germany June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo
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Germany Seeks Israeli Partnership on Cyberdefense, Plans 'Cyber Dome'

Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Sinan Selen, Vice-President of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (not pictured), attend a press conference to present the 'Constitution Protection Report 2024' in Berlin, Germany June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo
Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Sinan Selen, Vice-President of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (not pictured), attend a press conference to present the 'Constitution Protection Report 2024' in Berlin, Germany June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

Germany is aiming to establish a joint German-Israeli cyber research center and deepen collaboration between the two countries' intelligence and security agencies, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Sunday.

Germany is among Israel's closest allies in Europe, and Berlin has increasingly looked to draw upon Israel's defense expertise as it boosts its military capabilities and contributions to NATO in the face of perceived growing threats from Russia and China.

"Military defense alone is not sufficient for this turning point in security. A significant upgrade in civil defense is also essential to strengthen our overall defensive capabilities," Dobrindt said during a visit to Israel, as reported by Germany's Bild newspaper, Reuters reported.

Dobrindt, who was appointed by new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last month, arrived in Israel on Saturday.

According to the Bild report, Dobrindt outlined a five-point plan aimed at establishing what he called a "Cyber Dome" for Germany, as part of its cyberdefense strategy.

Earlier on Sunday, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder called for the acquisition of 2,000 interceptor missiles to equip Germany with an "Iron Dome" system similar to Israel's short-range missile defense technology.