Search & fact-check with cited sources for What emergency session is the UN Security Council holding in late July 2026 regarding Black Sea ship attacks, what triggered it, what is the scope of the maritime violence, and how does it threaten global food supplies and shipping?

What triggered the session

• Direct trigger: Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha requested the urgent meeting on July 22 after Russian forces attacked at least three civilian cargo ships in the Black Sea in quick succession . The deadliest single incident occurred on July 19, when three Russian cruise missiles struck the Guinea-Bissau-flagged bulk carrier Golden Leo as it left Odesa loaded with corn, killing 10 crew members .

• Broader context: Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's maritime export infrastructure since mid-June 2026. Between June 20 and July 20 alone, Russia struck 28 civilian merchant ships in the Greater Odesa ports . Multiple attacks involved missiles and drones hitting foreign-flagged vessels, including strikes on July 8 (4 killed in Odesa port) , July 14 (two merchant ships hit, killing a captain) , and July 15 (a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel struck for a second consecutive day) .

Scope of the maritime violence

• At least 28 civilian merchant ships were attacked in a one-month period around Greater Odesa .
• Dozens of sailors have been killed or injured, including nationals from India, Turkey, and other countries .
• Russia has also bombed port infrastructure itself — Odesa's governor reported 28 people killed in the Odesa region from Russian strikes in just the first 20 days of July .

How it threatens global food supplies and shipping

• Grain corridor paralyzed: Traffic through Ukraine's Black Sea grain corridor — the route carrying the overwhelming share of the country's farm exports — has come to a near-standstill at the peak of harvest season . As of July 27, no ships were passing through the corridor .

• Export capacity slashed: Ukraine has lost roughly one-third of its grain export capacity through Black Sea ports, according to the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC) . Analysts had warned as early as June that sustained strikes could cut monthly grain exports by a third .

• Global price spikes: International wheat prices surged to a two-year high by mid-July, with corn and rapeseed also rallying sharply . Major shippers — including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd — suspended operations at Chornomorsk, one of Ukraine's three key deepwater terminals .

• Food security hostage: Ukrainian officials have explicitly warned that Moscow is holding global food security "hostage" by targeting grain export infrastructure and merchant shipping at the height of the harvest, directly threatening food-importing countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia .