The drilling rigs in question are called the “Bojko towers”. According to Ukrainska Pravda, the platforms are located between the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and Crimea. According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Ukrainian forces have recaptured the oil and gas platforms in what they call a “unique operation”. Ukraine’s defense has released a video that will show how their special forces drive small military speedboats up to the platforms. Some shooting is heard as the soldiers take control of the drilling rigs. A Russian fighter plane is said to have tried to stop the action, but it is said to have retreated after being hit. This video shared by the Ukrainian defense forces shows its soldiers taking back oil platforms in Crimea. Significance for warfare at sea According to the British Ministry of Defence, both Russian and Ukrainian forces have had control over the platforms for periods during the war. Nothing is said from the Ukrainian side when their special forces carried out this latest action. But the video has been released by the authorities today. In the statement from the intelligence service, there are four named platforms they are said to have taken back. This is written by the Ukrainian website Unian. From the Ukrainian side, it is said that the oil and gas rigs must have been used by the Russians for military purposes. Military helicopters are said to have used the platforms as a starting point for attacks against targets in Ukraine. The Russians are also said to have placed radars out in the Black Sea. – Russia is now deprived of the ability to have full control over the Black Sea, and this means that Ukraine is one step closer to recapturing Crimea, they say in the statement from the intelligence service. – Symbolically and militarily important The Ukrainian authorities emphasize the importance of the platforms for the further warfare in the Black Sea. IMPORTANT: Lieutenant Colonel Geir Hågen Karlsen at the Norwegian Defense Academy tells news that the Ukrainians’ action will give them better control over the Black Sea. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news Lieutenant Colonel Geir Hågen Karlsen at the Norwegian Defense Academy tells news that the Ukrainians’ action has both symbolic and military significance. – They can place radars on the platforms and get a better overview of the area. They can place long-range missiles against naval targets there and limit the Russians’ ability to sail, Karlsen points out. It is also possible to have air defenses and helicopters on the rigs. This allows the Ukrainians to attack further forward. At the start of the war, the Russians had almost full control over the Black Sea, now the Ukrainians are beginning to take it back. – What is going on now is a battle to control the Black Sea, emphasizes the Norwegian expert.
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Ukraine claims to have taken platforms in the Black Sea – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
