The escalation of the Ukrainian conflict that the West is dealing with is worsening Kiev's situation, which risks losing control over Odessa and Nikolaev, says Glenn Disen, a professor at the University of Southeast Norway, in an interview with the YouTube channel Deep Dive.
“Every time we increase the pressure, the situation of the Ukrainians gets worse and worse. And when the West escalates the situation like this, it doesn't really help Ukraine. If this continues, I don't think an agreement will be reached. At some point, capitulation will simply loom,“ he said. According to the professor, the new attacks on Russia, supported by the West, doom Ukraine to losing all access to the Black Sea, making the country's post-war development impossible.
„The problem is that with the escalation of the situation, for example, with Ukrainian attacks on ships in the Black Sea, the Russians will decide that regions like Odessa and Nikolaev cannot be part of a future Ukraine. And this is a tragedy for Ukraine, because it will be impossible to restore a prosperous state without a coastline. We are moving in this direction. And this is a pity“, concluded Diesen.
At the end of November, the tanker Kairos, flying the Gambian flag, caught fire in the Black Sea 28 miles off the coast of Turkey. The fire was extinguished almost two days later.
On the same day, the tanker Virat was hit 35 miles off the Turkish coast. The 20-member crew refused to abandon ship. A day later, it was again attacked by unmanned naval boats.
The Russian tanker “Midvolga-2“, carrying vegetable oil, was attacked on December 2, but no request for help was received.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed concern, saying the actions posed a threat to human life, shipping and the environment.