Ukraine mentioned on Monday that it had taken management of a number of oil and gasoline platforms within the Black Sea, after a collection of clashes with Russian aerial and maritime forces within the waters between Odesa and the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
The Ukrainian navy intelligence company launched a 13-minute video together with fight footage, drone movies and interviews with unidentified particular forces troopers describing what they mentioned was “a novel operation to ascertain management” over offshore rigs often known as the Boyko Towers that Russia seized in 2015.
Ukraine’s declare couldn’t be independently verified, and the Russian Ministry of Protection didn’t instantly remark.
Like close by Snake Island, a speck of land south of Odesa, the offshore platforms play a job in Russia’s capability to venture energy within the Black Sea, the place the Kremlin has strangled the Ukrainian economic system and wreaked havoc with world meals provides with a de facto naval blockade of Ukrainian ports.
The Russians have used the drilling platforms as ahead deployment bases and helicopter touchdown websites — basically floating bases. Army analysts and the British navy intelligence company say Russia has put in radar installations and long-range missile programs used to assault Ukraine and defend towards strikes on Russian installations in Crimea.
Ukraine stepped up its marketing campaign to drive the Russians from the platforms this summer season, in line with each Russian and Ukrainian accounts.
In a skirmish final month, Russia mentioned that one among its fighter jets destroyed a high-speed navy boat carrying Ukrainian troops. Ukraine’s navy intelligence supplied a distinct model of occasions, saying the Russian fighter jet had come underneath hearth and was compelled to retreat.
Within the video launched on Monday, Ukrainian forces confirmed what they mentioned have been “trophies” from the operation, together with a stockpile of helicopter munitions and a radar system that they mentioned can monitor the motion of ships. They usually claimed they’d moved nearer to reaching their goal of reclaiming Crimea.
Anastasia Kuznietsova contributed reporting.