Ukraine says Black Sea gas, oil platforms recaptured from Russian control | Russia-Ukraine war News

Ukrainian army intelligence says offshore platforms in Black Sea retaken by Kyiv forces in ‘distinctive operation’.

The Ukrainian army said it has recaptured a number of strategic fuel and oil drilling platforms from Russia within the Black Sea near Crimea, which Moscow’s forces had occupied since 2015.

The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms, which was reported on Monday, takes again an asset that Russia seized throughout the annexation of Crimea and locations Kyiv nearer to retaking the occupied peninsula, in keeping with Ukrainian army intelligence (GUR).

The GUR mentioned on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian forces had retaken the drilling platforms in a “distinctive operation”.

“For Ukraine, regaining management of the Boyko Towers was of strategic significance and, because of this, Russia misplaced the flexibility to make use of them for army functions,” the GUR mentioned on Telegram.

“Russia has been disadvantaged of the flexibility to completely management the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps nearer to regaining Crimea,” the company added.

During the operation, there was a conflict between Ukrainian particular forces on boats and a Russian fighter jet, which was broken and compelled to retreat, the GUR mentioned, including that “priceless trophies” reminiscent of helicopter munitions and a radar system that may monitor the motion of ships within the Black Sea had been seized on the platforms.

The Russian defence ministry didn’t make any speedy touch upon the Ukrainian declare, however the ministry has beforehand reported that Russian warplanes destroyed a number of Ukrainian speedboats within the space in latest days.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Inside Affairs, mentioned early on Tuesday that regaining management of the Boyko Towers was necessary because the constructions had been utilized by Russian forces for “all kinds of monitoring, management, and surveillance sensors, increasing the Russian operational capabilities” within the Black Sea.

Ukraine has regained management over the so-called “Boyko Towers” – Protection Intelligence of Ukraine.

“Boyko Towers” are fuel and oil drilling platforms off the coast of occupied Crimea within the Black Sea. Russia occupied them in 2015 and used them for army functions when the… pic.twitter.com/11h27ysI03

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 11, 2023

“The Protection Intelligence of Ukraine disadvantaged the Russians of many monitoring and intelligence capabilities by knocking them out of those towers. This step was essential not solely in Ukraine’s wrestle for the Black Sea but in addition for extra space for its coastal and air operations,” he wrote.

Russian army bloggers claimed on Monday that the platforms had been uninhabited for greater than a 12 months and {that a} Ukrainian operation to briefly land troops on the constructions final month was not adopted by a everlasting army presence and got here at a heavy price to Ukraine’s forces.

Earlier than Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine extracted a big a part of its pure fuel from the Black Sea shelf, offering fuel not just for Crimea but in addition to mainland areas of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promised to do all he can to liberate Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The Ukrainian chief has urged worldwide allies to help Kyiv’s efforts to retake the peninsula.

The retaking of the Black Sea fuel and oil platforms follows a report by the UK’s Ministry of Defence noting naval and air drive skirmishes between Russian and Ukrainian forces at sea two weeks in the past.

Ukraine has struck a number of Russian-controlled platforms in preventing throughout the battle and troopers from each nations have occupied the constructions periodically, the UK mentioned in a army replace on the battle.

Together with drilling, the platforms can be utilized to land helicopters, as deployment bases and to place long-range missile techniques.