Ukraine said Tuesday, June 21 to have targeted the day before drilling platforms in the Black Sea, used according to it as
military "
installations " by the Russians to strengthen their control in the region.
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“
At this site, Russia organized small garrisons, stored air defense equipment there, including radars.
That is to say, these platforms have turned into facilities that have helped and are helping the Russians to strengthen their full control of the northwestern part of the Black Sea
,” said the spokesman for the region. Odessa, Sergey Bratchouk, during an online press conference.
According to him, there were also "
reconnaissance
" tools on the gas extraction platforms located 70 kilometers from Odessa, a port in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea.
On Monday, he indicated that these platforms were “
legal military targets
” for Ukraine: “
It is a small garrison.
It's not just a platform to extract gas
, ”he said in a video posted on his Telegram channel.
Seven people were missing Monday evening, according to a Russian official.
This is the first reported strike against offshore hydrocarbon infrastructure in Crimea since the start of Russia's offensive against Ukraine.
Serious ecological consequences
Maritime hydrocarbon extraction platforms are tempting and easy targets, but the ecological consequences of their destruction can be potentially serious.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, after anti-ship missiles and a Bayraktar TB2 (drone) attacked the platforms on Monday, "
a powerful fire broke out on the BK-1 platform, creating a threat of an ecological disaster
".
The FIRMS site, linked to NASA and allowing the monitoring of fires, indeed showed that a fire broke out at sea on Monday and was still active on Tuesday morning.
AFP crossed this location with a European database allowing to see the hydrocarbon extraction structures: this corresponds to the Modu Tavrida platform, also called Boyko Towers, operated by Chernomorneftegaz.
The Black Sea facilities were seized 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 silly as occupying Chernobyl”
Attacking a platform, “
it's not a very smart thing.
It's as stupid as going to occupy Chernobyl
", as the Russians did at the start of their offensive launched on February 24, explains Thierry Bros, expert on energy and climate at Sciences Po, author in particular of "
Geopolitics of Russian gas
” (Editions l'Inventaire).
The Russians “
have set up small contingents on the platforms.
They deployed anti-aircraft defense systems, including radars, reconnaissance equipment.
These platforms have become sort of fortifications which have helped and continue to help the Russians in their attempt to have total control of the North-West of the Black Sea
”, justified on Tuesday a military spokesman for the region of Odessa, quoted by Interfax-Ukraine.
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An assertion unverifiable by AFP.
In general, the more Russia controls this maritime area, the greater the threats hanging over Ukraine's remaining seaboard, and in particular Odessa.
From an ecological point of view, as it is a gas platform, there is no risk of an oil spill, but "
you have fields which will burn, burn, burn, this will emit into the atmosphere of the CO2 and methane, two greenhouse gases
”.
No impact on the situation in Crimea.
From an energy point of view, the impact is almost nil for Russia.
The platforms lost by Ukraine in 2014 produced between 2013 and 2015 around one billion m3 per year, "
this is nothing compared to Russian production, which is around 640 billion m3 per year
,” recalls Thierry Bros.
On the other hand, this will weigh on the situation in Crimea.
Indeed, the extracted gas is transported and consumed on site in Crimea, recalls the professor.
Be that as it may, the platforms are tempting targets because they are immobile and difficult to protect.
In the past, they have already been attacked in conflicts, such as during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), or during the Gulf war (1991).
“
It is complicated to secure a platform against such a missile, because it is not optimized to receive a ground-to-air self-protection system.
Effective coverage can only come from surface buildings
,” notes French researcher Pierre Grasser, Russian Defense specialist associated with the Sirice laboratory.
“
In the Black Sea Russia has only 6 armed vessels to intercept these missiles.
»
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"
It's not much, given the returns to ports to be made cyclically, the maintenance of two ships in protection of Serpents' Island - whose protection is a priority - this therefore leaves two to three units to cover the rest of the sea
".
The pollution caused by destruction can last.
"
If the fire has reached the borehole, it will be more complicated
," said Thierry Bros.
In the event that the wellhead is destroyed, a kind of valve at the bottom of the water, we are then "
faced with an unknown factor and the engineers will have to find a solution
".
