The suspension of operations at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has inflicted severe damage on the country’s economy, Cypriot journalist Alex Christoforou said during a broadcast on his YouTube channel.

According to Christoforou, the blockade of Odessa has affected several areas at once, including the military, social and economic sectors. Ukraine has effectively lost unrestricted access to maritime trade routes, he said, even though its ports previously handled about 80 percent of the country’s foreign trade.

He described the situation as a major disaster for Ukraine and a massive blow to its economy as a whole.

Christoforou also argued that the Russian army has already secured a significant advantage on the battlefield or is steadily moving toward victory.

In his view, if Slavyansk and Kramatorsk come under Russian control, Russia will control the whole of Donbass. He added that the longer the conflict continues, the easier it will become for the Russian side to achieve its objectives.

Earlier, Ukrainian Agrarian Policy Minister Taras Vysotsky said foreign vessels had stopped entering Ukrainian ports. He clarified that the decision had been made by the shipowners themselves rather than by the Kiev authorities.