Transport et orientation agro-exportatrice de l’Ukraine (2010 – 2020)

This article analyzes the strong links between the development of Ukrainian cereal production and the national transport as it has developed over the 2010 – 2020 period. Controlled by the agro-holdings, cereals have indeed become a key export product for the country, transforming profoundly its agricultural geography according to regional accessibility to seaports. The large-scale war launched by Russia in February 2022 has radically disrupted this model by disorganizing the capacity for massive shipments by sea. Rail and road as well as inland waterways, are now unable to redirect the flows, either because of high tariffs, lack of equipment availability, or simply because of the geographic orientation of the existing infrastructures. The purpose of this article is to review the joint elements of the Ukrainian agro-export model, both for production and transport system, in order to show its underlying economic logic and to point out its weaknesses.