'Ukraine broke the blockade'

Ukraine has scored "maritime wins" against Russia

(Image credit: Sercan Ozkurnazli / Getty Images)

published 22 November 2023

'Resuming grain shipments is a major advance in a Ukrainian counteroffensive'

Jillian Kay Melchior in The Wall Street Journal

Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive might appear stalled, says Jillian Kay Melchior in The Wall Street Journal. "But critics are looking by land when they should also be looking by sea." Ukraine has scored "maritime wins," with its sea drones and missiles destroying 15 Russian ships and "piercing Russia's Black Sea blockade." This has forced "the Russian navy into retreat." Denying "Russia the ability to operate" with impunity has made the Black Sea safe for grain ships again.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.