Russia is holding "unprecedented" naval exercises on the Black Sea, increasing fears that a maritime assault could be part of a possible invasion of Ukraine. The drills that are scheduled to run until February 19 have disrupted vital shipping lanes crucial to Ukraine's exports like grain and steel. According to the United States, Russia has also amassed around 130,000 troops on Ukraine's eastern and northern borders and could attack at any moment, something Moscow denies. But even without an invasion, a blockade of Ukraine's maritime routes could suffocate the country economically from the sea.
