Ukraine claims to recapture Black Sea oil platforms seized during Crimea's annexation

Ukraine recaptured strategic gas/oil platforms from Russia in the Black Sea. President Zelenskyy vowed to regain Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Ukrainian military said Monday that it recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea and claimed gains in occupied areas near Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine left in ruins after the war's longest and deadliest fighting.

The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms provides an energy source and takes back an asset that Russia seized in 2015 and used to launch helicopters, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said.

“Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea,” the Main Intelligence Directorate said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to do all he can to bring back Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and has urged international allies to support the effort.

Ukraine's reported battlefront gains, which could not be independently confirmed, came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was on a train headed for Russia for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting announced by the two leaders' countries could include discussions of North Korea providing arms to restock Russia’s dwindling arsenal.

U.S. officials released intelligence last week indicating that North Korea and Russia were arranging a Putin-Kim meeting for sometime this month as they expand cooperation in the face of deepening confrontations with the United States.