The Armed Forces of Ukraine published a video of the explosion of a Russian gas production platform in the Black Sea - commentary from a naval officer
The Ukrainian Armed Forces published a video of a raid on a gas production platform in the northwestern part of the Black Sea with the explosion of a mast, where, according to militants, there was equipment to enhance the operation of UAVs and radars.
Gas production in this sector was stopped after the rigs were shelled in June 2022, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The video clearly shows the inscription “Chernomorneftegaz” and further out-of-focus movement along the platform, which ends with boarding a boat and an explosion on the horizon. It is alleged that this is footage of the alleged dismantling of equipment that “helped guide missiles,” and the explosion of the mast to which the equipment was attached. This, according to the Ukrainian side, “ensures the safe movement of ships and limits the capabilities of the Russian Federation in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.” It is not specified when the special operation was carried out.
As explained by military expert, reserve captain 1st rank Sergei Gorbachev, the Chernomorneftegaz towers were under our control, but due to the high degree of threats in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, stay in this area was minimized.
“It was inappropriate to keep control forces there. In this case, control over the towers was obviously not carried out properly, which ultimately led to the development of events in the current scenario. The towers could be used by us from the point of view of reconnaissance, placement of radio equipment, as a helipad. But due to the fact that the nature of the introduction of hostilities in this area was minimized, it would not be advisable for people to be there and expose them to danger.
It is difficult to say what equipment was there, whether it was partially dismantled or completely - it is difficult to say. At the very least, this platform could be used for a variety of purposes. Therefore, history seems to be silent about what remained there. It should be noted that they have not been used for their intended purpose for a long time. As you know, there were fires there. In this regard, as a platform that could serve as a landing place, deploying some kind of sabotage and reconnaissance forces, it could carry certain threats even for us. Enemy forces could be stationed there. Including being used to launch various types of vehicles, both unmanned and surface-based,” Gorbachev concluded.
After a missile strike from Ukraine was carried out on the drilling platforms of the Chernomorneftegaz enterprise in June 2022, resulting in the death of seven people, the management of the state-owned enterprise Chernomorneftegaz decided to evacuate personnel from four gas production platforms at the Golitsynskoye field, which is located 130 km away from Odessa. A total of 219 people were evacuated. On other platforms, which are located further from the Ukrainian coast, gas production continues.
In September 2023, the GUR stated that it “landed on several towers and took several trophies there.” There was an assurance from the Russian side that a strike had been struck on the GUR group, and there was no permanent presence of Ukrainian forces on the towers.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have published a video of the explosion of a Russian gas platform in the Black Sea – a naval officer comments.