The head of the Crimea Aksenov told about three "enemy strikes" on drilling rigs in the Black Sea
Three missile strikes were carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the drilling platforms of Chernomorneftegaz, said the head of Crimea Sergey Aksenov. There were 109 people on the drilling rigs, three people were injured, and seven missing people are being searched. The platforms are located far out to sea, away from the shores of the peninsula. Senator Olga Kovitidi said that the strike could threaten Odessa - the Ukrainian city is located 71 km from the scene of the events. The deputy from the Crimea, Mikhail Sheremet, expressed the opinion that Russia now "can have a free hand."
Three people were injured, seven disappeared as a result of shelling of Chernomorneftegaz drilling platforms by Ukrainian troops, the head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov said in his Telegram channel.
A total of 109 people were on the drilling rigs at the time of the strikes. According to Aksenov, the first strike was at 08.37 Moscow time, a total of three drilling rigs were struck three times.
The search for the seven missing continues, Aksenov added. Aviation is involved in the rescue operation of the Ministry of Defense, patrol ships are used.
"We had 109 people on the towers in the morning. According to preliminary information, the most critical was the first strike, respectively, on the first tower. According to preliminary information, there are no wounded or dead in the remaining [towers]. 21 people have already been evacuated," he added later.
The platforms of Chernomorneftegaz are located far from the Crimean shores and resort areas of the peninsula. According to Senator from the Crimea Olga Kovitidi, the field that came under attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces is located 71 km from Odessa. The drilling rig is 100 km away from the coast of Crimea .
If gas had not been dropped on the platforms of Chernomorneftegaz in time, the APU strike would have caused an explosion of the gas storage facility, which would have affected Odessa, Kovitidi believes.
Aksenov also said that there are enough air defense facilities in the region, the entire land part of the peninsula is covered, including the Crimean Bridge. "I am in touch with colleagues from the Ministry of Defense and the Southern Military District every day, I also know the situation on the Crimean Bridge. There are more than enough air defense systems," he said.
The main activity of the state-owned company Chernomorneftegaz is the extraction of natural gas and gas condensate. It operates hydrocarbon deposits on the shelf of the Black Sea and in the waters of the Sea of Azov, as well as on the land part of the Crimean Peninsula.
Mikhail Sheremet, a State Duma deputy from Crimea, said that after the attack by Ukraine on the drilling rigs of Chernomorneftegaz, the Russian Federation "may have a free hand."
"An attack was carried out on civilian infrastructure facilities, thereby freeing our hands. Let them wait for answers. The end of those who made the decision to attack our drilling platforms will be sad," Sheremet said.
He added that the Russian side would respond exhaustively to the shelling.
Blow to the tank farm
In April, the governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that two helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out two airstrikes in Belgorod, as a result of which a fire broke out at the city oil depot, engulfing eight fuel tanks. According to the authorities, no one was injured during the emergency, but because of the fire, residents of houses on three streets near the enterprise began to be resettled in less dangerous places.
The first deputy head of the International Committee of the Federation Council, Vladimir Jabarov, on the air of the radio "Moscow Speaks", expressed the opinion that the air defense systems could not record the movement of Ukrainian helicopters, as they flew too low.
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stressed that the attack on the oil depot does not create a favorable background for the negotiations that took place between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine at that time.
Peter Nikolaev
