Ukraine attempts to seize Crimea-2 oil rig near Odessa

The Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to attack and capture the Crimea-2 drilling rig near Odessa, the Russian Defense Ministry said on September 11. The Russian troops guarding the rig repelled the attack and destroyed eight of the 14 boats with landing forces. The Ukrainian side lost up to 80 servicemen.

Photo: unsplash.com by Thierry Meier, PDM

The Ukrainian military sent 14 US-made Willard Sea Force boats with landing forces to seize the rig. The Russian military guarding the rig repelled the attack: eight boats were sunk. The Ukrainian military lost up to 80 people. "Another six Ukrainian boats retreated," the Defense Ministry added.

"They retreated without even making an attempt to pick up the wounded Ukrainian servicemen who remained in the water,” the Defense Ministry noted.

The Crimea-2 drilling rig is located between Crimea and Odessa, in the area of Snake Island in the Black Sea. The rig belonged to the Ukrainian state-owned company Chernomornaftogaz. In March 2014, the Crimean authorities nationalized the property of Ukrainian state companies Chornomornaftogaz and Ukrtransgaz having created republican enterprises on their basis.