Suspected Ukrainian attacks targeted drilling rigs off the coast of Crimea on Monday morning, the head of the Russian region, Sergey Aksyonov, said in a statement, adding that the rigs were manned by 12 workers, five of whom have been rescued so far, including three with injuries.

Aksyonov did not disclose the exact locations of the facilities, but said they were owned by Chernomorneftegaz, a company that develops offshore gas and oil fields.

Its ownership has been disputed by Ukrainian energy giant Naftogaz since 2014, when it was nationalized after Crimea voted to re-join Russia.

Some Ukrainian media reported that earlier in the day, dozens of missiles hit Snake Island [Zmeiny], a small islet off the Ukrainian coast, which has been controlled by Russia for months. Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko claimed that some of the missiles hit the gas rigs instead of the island.

Source: RT