Are Ukrainian seaports operational right now?
No. Ukrainian ports have completely ceased operations as a result of sustained bombing. There is no transshipment of containerized or bulk cargo, and no vessel calls are taking place. Forwarders previously attempted to reroute via the Danube and Ukrainian river ports as an alternative, but after losing three vessels to aerial bombardment, that option was abandoned. For now, sea transport to Ukraine is effectively off the table.
What's happening with rail transport into Ukraine?
Rail infrastructure is under constant shelling and bombardment, with even locomotives becoming direct targets. Freight forwarders frequently encounter refusals from Ukrainian rail operators to accept empty containers at depots because container yards are overstocked. At times, acceptance has halted entirely, making export shipments impossible and pushing the backlog to 1,200–1,500 TEUs.
This bottleneck is especially critical for bookings destined for Ukraine via Polish or Romanian ports. Rail gauge differences between Ukraine and neighboring EU countries mean railcars must be transshipped between trains at the border—a process that can now take up to two weeks given the current strain on infrastructure.
Can cargo still move by road across Ukrainian borders?
Road transport remains possible, but it's unpredictable. Bombardment of border crossings has led to frequent air raid alerts and traffic stoppages at these checkpoints. When an alert sounds, crossings close on both the Ukrainian side and the Polish or Romanian side simultaneously. As a result, transit times and overall journey durations are difficult to forecast with any confidence, and forwarders should build significant buffer time into client-facing delivery estimates.
Is air freight an option for Ukrainian shipments?
Ukrainian airspace has been closed since February 2022, so direct air freight into the country isn't available. Instead, all air cargo bound for Ukraine is transported by road from airports in neighboring third countries. This means air freight shipments inherit the same unpredictability described in the road transport section above—delays at border crossings apply regardless of how cargo initially arrived in the region.
What insurance coverage applies to freight moving through Ukraine?
A war-risk insurance program administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is currently in place to support cargo movement under these conditions. This program gives forwarders a structured way to manage the elevated risk associated with shipments touching Ukrainian territory, rather than operating without a safety net.
Planning Shipments in This Environment
These are the operating realities Ukrainian freight forwarders navigate today: no functioning seaports, rail backlogs stretching into the thousands of TEUs, border crossings that can close without warning, and air cargo dependent entirely on road transport from third countries. None of this makes shipping to or through Ukraine impossible, but it does make preparation essential.
If you're routing cargo through this corridor, build flexibility into your timelines, communicate transparently with clients about the risks, and make sure your coverage includes the EBRD war-risk program before cargo moves. Staying connected to a trusted network of partners who understand these ground conditions firsthand can also make the difference between a shipment that gets stuck and one that finds a workable path forward.
