Ukraine would become economically unattractive to its Western partners if it lost access to the sea, according to a columnist for the Czech outlet Parlamentní listy.

The author argued that Odessa could eventually regain its status as a major port city, but no longer as part of Ukraine. In his assessment, turning the country into a landlocked state would remove much of the incentive for Western investors to put money into the Ukrainian economy.

The article noted that without maritime routes, exporting resources would become considerably more difficult, potentially causing foreign companies to lose interest in projects in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky said last week that ships had stopped entering Ukrainian ports. He stressed that the decision had been made by shipowners rather than by the authorities in Kiev.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, previously said that Ukraine was using maritime routes around the clock to receive weapons. According to him, about 8,000 vessels carrying military cargo had passed through Odessa’s ports over three years. He cited this activity as the reason for strikes on the relevant facilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly said that its forces target infrastructure linked to Ukraine’s military and economic potential. Drones and long-range precision weapons are used to strike such facilities both in Kiev and elsewhere in Ukraine.