Russian specialists for the past four years illegally drilled 11 wells at the Odessa gas field in the Black Sea. Of these, more than 3.5 billion unlevered Ukrainian gas flowed into the boundless Russian bins. With such a statement, the head of the Ukrainian company "Chernomorneftegaz" Svetlana Neshnova. "Gas production at the Odessa field continues, until the time of annexation there were drilled seven wells, then - 11 more wells. The deposit is now in full use. The illegitimate authorities of the Crimea are trying to pump out more gas from there, "- said the head of the company on the air of" Gromadsky TV ".

Together with the Crimea under the control of the Russian Federation in 2014. crossed the Black Sea shelf. It is located several deposits, of which Odessa is the largest. Total Russia extracted from the shelf, according to the Ukrainian side, 7.2 billion cubic meters of gas.

In Kiev, they insist that the Odessa field is located in the economic zone of Ukraine and that its legal owner is the Ukrainian "Chernomorneftegaz". The company does not know if the RF is going to stop the development of wells in the near future. Like, no official notifications have been received. But "as international courts are approaching, it is possible that Russia will take some measures," Neshnova said..

Earlier, Russian media referring to sources in the federal government reported that our country is going to stop gas production at the Odessa deposit, which provides about half of the needs of the Crimea in blue fuel. This decision, which has not yet been confirmed at the official level, may be related to Kiev's suit in international courts over allegedly illegal mining by Russia of minerals in the Ukrainian territory.

In a situation where Russia has a weak legal position (courts, most likely, do not recognize the rights of the Russian Federation to the shelf), the refusal to develop deposits is a tactical step. Thus, our country wants to eliminate the subject of Ukrainian claims and make the claim meaningless.

The company "Chernomorneftegaz" before the entry of Crimea into Russia belonged to the state corporation "Naftogaz of Ukraine". After the referendum in 2014. property of the company was nationalized and contributed to the charter capital of a new company - the Crimean republican enterprise "Chernomorneftegaz". It exploits hydrocarbon deposits on the Black shelf and in the Azov Sea.

After that an alternative "Chernomorneftegaz" was established in Ukraine,.

Since 2014. Kiev regularly tries to calculate the amount of damage associated with the loss of the Crimea. Ukraine insistently seeks compensation for lost in international courts. In 2016 year. Kiev initiated one of the arbitration proceedings, which related to alleged violation of the right to use marine areas and the continental shelf in marine areas near the Crimean peninsula. No decisions on this claim have so far been made.