On Tuesday, June 21, Ukraine targeted drilling rigs in the North Sea, which are used as “Amenities:by the Russians to strengthen their control in the region.
«Russia has set up small garrisons in this area, storing air defense equipment, including radars. In other words, those platforms turned into objects that helped the Russians to strengthen their full control over the north-western part of the Black Sea.“- said the spokesman of the Odessa region Sergiy Brachuk during an online press conference. According to him, there were also tools “recognition:gas production facilities located 70 km from Odessa, in the southern Ukrainian port on the Black Sea.
On Monday, he said that these platforms “legitimate military targetsFor Ukraine.It is a small garrison. It’s not just a gas extraction platform“, He assured in the video published on his Telegram channel. According to the Russian official, seven people went missing on Monday evening. This is the first strike against Crimea’s maritime hydrocarbon infrastructure since the start of the Russian offensive against Ukraine.
Serious environmental consequences
Marine hydrocarbon mining platforms are tempting and easy targets, but the environmental consequences of their destruction can be potentially serious. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, on Monday after the attack on the anti-ship missiles և Bayraktar TB2 (unmanned aerial vehicle) on the platforms.A powerful fire broke out on the BK-1 platform, creating a danger of ecological catastrophe«.
NASA’s FIRMS website, which allows you to control fires, has indeed shown that a fire broke out in the sea on Monday and was still active on Tuesday morning. AFP crossed this place with a European database, which allows you to see the structures of hydrocarbon extraction. This corresponds to the Modu Tavrida platform, also called Boyko Towers, which is operated by Chernomorneftegaz. The objects of the Black Sea were occupied by the Russians after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the gas is consumed on the peninsula, where it is transported by pipeline.
“As stupid as capturing Chernobyl.”
Attacking the platform, “it’s not that smart. It’s as stupid as capturing Chernobyl“What did the Russians do at the beginning of their offensive on February 24,” explains Thierry Bros, an energy climate expert at Sciences Po.Geopolitics of Russian gas(L’Inventaire publications).
Russians »placed small contingents on the platforms. They have installed air defense systems, including radars and reconnaissance equipment. These platforms have become a kind of fortification that has helped and continues to assist the Russians in their attempts to gain complete control of the northwestern Black Sea.The military spokesman for the Odessa region was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.
Unverifiable assertion by AFP. In general, the more Russia controls this sea area, the greater the threat to the rest of the Ukrainian coast, particularly in Odessa. From an ecological point of view, as it is a gas platform, there is no danger of an oil spill, but “You have fields that will burn, will burn, will burn, this will emit CO2 և methane, two greenhouse gases.«.
No impact on the situation in Crimea.
From the energy point of view, the impact on Russia is almost zero. The platforms lost by Ukraine in 2014 produced about one billion m3 per year in 2013-2015.This is nothing compared to the Russian production, which is about 640 billion m3 per year“Remembers Thierry Bros. On the other hand, it will contribute to the situation in Crimea. Indeed, the extracted gas is transported and consumed on the spot in Crimea, the professor recalls. In any case, platforms are tempting targets because they are immobile and difficult to defend. They have been attacked in the past during conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) or the Gulf War (1991).
«It is difficult to provide a platform from such a missile, as it is not optimized to receive a ground-to-air self-defense system. Effective coverage can only come from surface buildings“- says French researcher Pierre Grasser, in connection with the laboratory of Russian defense specialist Sirice. «Russia has only six armed ships in the Black Sea to catch those missiles.»
«This is not much, given the return of ports, which must be done in a cyclical manner, the maintenance of two ships under the protection of Snake Island, the protection of which is a priority, thus leaving two or three points to cover the rest of the sea.«. Pollution caused by destruction can last. «If the fire reaches the well, it will be more complicatedThierry Bros. thinks. In the event that the wellhead is broken, a kind of valve on the bottom of the water, then we “When faced with the unknown, engineers must find a solution«.
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Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.