British military intelligence in the daily military review draws attention to the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces for the so-called “Boyko towers” – gas and oil platforms in the Black Sea between Crimea and Odesa, the British Ministry of Defense wrote on X (formerly Twitter), Report informs.
“As tensions remain high in the Black Sea, skirmishes have taken place between maritime and air forces around strategically important gas and oil platforms between Crimea and Odesa. Last week, a Russian combat jet shot at a Ukrainian military small boat operating near a platform in the north-west of the sea,” reads the report.
“The platforms are operated by the Chernomorneftegaz company, which was seized by the pro-Russian occupation authorities in Crimea during the 2014 annexation. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has struck several Russian-controlled platforms. Both Russia and Ukraine have also periodically occupied them with troops. The platforms command valuable hydrocarbon resources. However, like Snake Island to the west, they can also be used as forward deployment bases, helicopter landing sites, and to position long-range missile systems.”
The mentioned towers are symbolically named after the former Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Yuriy Boyko. The units were purchased from Singapore during his tenure as minister.
