The British Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia have been involved in naval and air conflicts over control of oil and natural gas platforms of high strategic value in the Black Sea in recent weeks.
“Last week, a Russian warplane fired on a small Ukrainian military ship operating near a platform in the Northwest Sea,” the ministry said in a statement posted to social network X (formerly known as Twitter).
The conflicts, according to London, took place on platforms between Crimea and Odessa, which contain “valuable resources” in the form of hydrocarbons, but could also be used as military bases for positioning helicopters and long-range missile systems.
“The platforms are operated by the Chernomorneftegaz company, which was seized by the pro-Russian authorities in Crimea during the 2014 annexation. Since the invasion, Ukraine has attacked several Russian-controlled platforms. Both Russia and Ukraine have periodically occupied it with troops.” detailed.
In the early stages of the war, Moscow occupied with its troops the island of Snakes, located in the Black Sea, near the border with Romania, although Kiev announced the withdrawal of Russian troops at the end of June.
Source: DN
