Russians may begin gas extraction in Sea of Azov

Russian forces are planning to begin gas extraction in the Sea of Azov, with Russia’s Federal Agency for Subsoil Use claiming it intends to explore 22 promising fields, including the Morske, Pivnichno-Kazantypske and Skhidno-Kazantypske deposits.

Source: Berdiansk City Military Administration, as reported by Suspilne, a Ukrainian public broadcaster

Details: The Morske field is located about 40 km from the temporarily occupied city of Berdiansk.

Kseniia Kleshchenko, acting head of communications at Berdiansk City Military Administration, said that the field was discovered in 1977 but has never been developed. 

"The occupation authorities have claimed there are industrial gas reserves in the Sea of Azov, citing Soviet-era archives that list 22 oil and gas structures, including the Morske field, which is currently mothballed. They say further exploration and pilot industrial development are required," she said.

She added that two other deposits mentioned by the Russians — Pivnichno-Kazantypske and Skhidno-Kazantypske – were discovered in the late 1990s and early 2000s, in the early years of Ukrainian independence. These are also located in the Sea of Azov, but as far as current information suggests, extraction from them was never launched. The Ukrainian company Chornomornaftogaz had been exploring the Pivnichno-Kazantypske and Strilkove fields, but following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Moscow seized the company’s assets.

In total, Russia’s Federal Agency for Subsoil Use has claimed the existence of 22 gas deposits in the Sea of Azov that it considers promising for exploration.

Background: Russia also intends to restart and operate the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, despite ongoing risks and calls to resolve its status through peace negotiations.

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