Zelenskyi’s Office reports about Ukraine’s losses from Russia’s occupation of Crimea

After Russia's occupation of Crimea, Ukrainian gas deposits on the Black Sea shelf came under Kremlin control. For seven years, the occupation of the peninsula has posed a threat to the energy security of Ukraine and the whole of Europe.

Anton Korynevych, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, spoke about this on the air of the Ukraine 24 TV channel.

The temporary occupation of Crimea has a negative impact on the energy security of both Ukraine and Europe, and the world as a whole. The Russian Federation, having carried out the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, nationalized a key Ukrainian company, our property "Chornomornaftogas," which had its own fleet, production bases, gas storages, devices, in particular the newest ones, made only in 2010," the Permanent Representative noted.

According to him, Ukraine is temporarily unable to use its assets, which could be an alternative to Russian gas.

"Actually, before the occupation in 2013, we signed agreements on the distribution of development products from the Scythian deposit on the Black Sea shelf, close to the Crimean peninsula and Sevastopol. Foreign investors were interested in such developments; they were ready to invest in this business. And we can consider gas from the Black Sea and Azov Sea shelf as a possible alternative to the Russian one. In general, gas on the Azov Sea and the Black Sea shelf accounts for about half of all traditional natural gas deposits in Ukraine," Korynevych stressed.

He noted Ukraine was responding with a "legal war" to the Russian war:

"Ukraine at the level of the state and state companies has filed several lawsuits against arbitration to the Permanent Chamber of Arbitration, aiming to bring Russia to justice for the fact that Ukraine is temporarily unable to use its property and can not have economic activities in the temporarily occupied Crimea and the continental shelf near it."

The president's spokesperson also said that this issue should be raised in the international arena.

"And we as a state must adopt, develop and finalize the public part of a political document, the strategy of de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which, of course, should include a part on energy security," he added.