Ukraine: The Ukrainian military has reportedly recaptured several strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea. It has been occupied by Moscow since 2015.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR), the recapture of the Boyko Towers platforms takes back an asset that Russia seized during the annexation of Crimea and places Kyiv closer to retaking the occupied peninsula.
The GUR said that Ukrainian forces had retaken the drilling platforms in a “unique operation.”
“For Ukraine, regaining control of the Boyko Towers was of strategic importance, and, as a result, Russia lost the ability to use them for military purposes. Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea,” the GUR stated on Telegram.
There was a confrontation between Ukrainian special forces on boats and a Russian fighter jet, which was damaged and forced to retreat, during the operation, as per the GUR. It added that “valuable trophies” such as helicopter munitions and a radar system that can track the movement of ships in the Black Sea were seized at the platforms.
The Russian defence ministry did not provide an immediate response to the Ukrainian claim. However, the ministry had previously stated that Russian warplanes had destroyed several Ukrainian speedboats in the same region in recent days.
Mr. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, stated that retaking the Boyko Towers was crucial. These structures were utilised by Russian forces for various monitoring, control, and surveillance purposes, thereby enhancing Russia’s operational capabilities in the Black Sea, the adviser added.
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