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Russia's lockdown of Odessa ports could be a grim turning point in war
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Responsible Statecraft
It need only deny access to Ukraine’s critically important Odessa port complex, something it is doing quite effectively through air and missile strikes on port facilities and approaching ships.
For some four years thereafter, the Odessa port system remained open to Ukrainian imports and exports, handling some 90% of Ukraine’s agricultural trade.
Since July 22, the Russian military has effectively closed the Ukrainian port complex in and around Odessa to all shipping.
First, neither Ukraine nor the West can eliminate the threat of Russian air and missile strikes through military means alone.
As a result, the alternative to an uncomfortable compromise settlement of the war will not be a steel Ukrainian porcupine.