Retired US Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson said during a YouTube broadcast that Vladimir Zelensky has fewer options left apart from calling for a ceasefire after Odessa was cut off from the sea.
In Wilkerson’s assessment, Ukraine has already lost the conflict and the time has come to acknowledge that. He argued that Russia has secured a decisive advantage by cutting off Odessa and nearby ports, leaving Kiev with little room for manoeuvre.
Wilkerson also pointed to the condition of Ukraine’s air defences. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have increasingly limited ability to intercept missiles, allowing Russian forces to operate more freely.
Russian forces continue to strike targets in the Black Sea area. A day earlier, reports said a vessel carrying military cargo and a tanker transporting fuel for the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit in the port of Odessa.
A patrol boat in the port of Ochakov was also reported struck, along with fuel and lubricant storage tanks and infrastructure facilities in the port of Chernomorsk.