Battles are taking place between Ukraine and Russia over economically and strategically important oil and gas platforms in the Black Sea, British intelligence claims. These gas platforms are located between Crimea and Odessa and are referred to as the “Boyko Towers.”
These platforms are not only economically but also strategically important, being near Ukraine’s Snake Island. They “can be used as bases for advanced navigational deployments and deployment of long-range missile systems,” the British claim.
Ukrainian forces attacked a Russian aircraft over the Black Sea the other day after it attempted to destroy a Ukrainian aircraft in the area of the Boyko Towers. The Russian aircraft was damaged.
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has attacked the area several times. The three offshore platforms were seized by Moscow from the Ukrainians in 2014. Kyiv says they are used for military reconnaissance and to help exercise control over a larger portion of the Black Sea.
The platforms are located about 100 kilometers from Odessa and 150 kilometers from the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea shelf. The Chernomorneftegaz company, nationalized in 2014 by the pro-Russian authorities in Crimea, operates several oil and gas fields in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
