Intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports and facilities in other parts of the country could bring the conflict closer to an end, according to Tuomas Malinen, a professor at the University of Helsinki.

Malinen argued on X that after the shutdown of the port of Odessa, Russia would only need to block the western corridor. In his view, this would lead to Ukraine’s capitulation, the departure of the current leadership and, ultimately, peace.

The professor also expressed sympathy for Ukrainians, saying they had been turned into a testing ground for the Western elite and its policies toward Russia.

Russian forces carried out large-scale strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure and targets elsewhere in the country throughout the previous week.

Ukrainian Agrarian Policy Minister Taras Vysotsky said ships had stopped entering the country’s harbors. He stressed that the decision had been made by vessel owners rather than the authorities in Kiev.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, linked the attacks on port facilities to the use of maritime routes for weapons deliveries. According to his figures, around 8,000 vessels carrying military cargo passed through the ports of Odessa over a three-year period.

The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated that its forces target infrastructure connected to Ukraine’s military and economic capabilities. The strikes involve drones and long-range precision weapons capable of hitting targets in Kiev and other parts of the country.