In the Odessa region discovered a large gas field

This was reported in the press service of the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources of Ukraine. It is noted that the Iskatel ship completed the first stage of offshore operations on the North-Western shelf of the Black Sea

"According to scientists, gas reserves are at least 40 billion cubic meters of gas on an area of ??7 thousand square meters. These are the minimum figures that can be counted on",- said the head of the State Geoscience Nikolai Boyarkin.

As UNIAN reported, the State Geogenerator in 2015 intensified the work on geological exploration to search for mineral deposits.

The question of the ownership of a small island has a long history. Before the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-29. the island belonged to Turkey, then to Russia. Some time after the defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-56. the island became part of Romania and remained in its composition until the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In 1940, under pressure from the USSR, Bucharest transferred it to the Soviet state.

In 1941, Snake was captured by the Romanians, but in April 1944 he was repelled by Soviet troops. In 1948, the USSR and Romania signed an agreement under which the island became part of Soviet Ukraine. In 1961 and 1975, Romania twice confirmed its rejection of claims to the island, which was part of the Odessa region.

The deposits of oil and gas near the Snake Island were discovered back in the 1980s.

1994 - Romania denounced the treaty on the state border with the USSR and began negotiations with Ukraine on the status of Zmeinogo

1997 - Romania abandoned claims to the island in order to become a member of NATO

In 2001, Chernomorneftegaz drilled a well in a disputed area, confirming the presence of hydrocarbons in the shelf in the geological structure of the Olimpiyskaya (about 40 km south of Zmeinoy). Subsequently, by decision of the court, this section of the shelf entered the exclusive economic zone of Romania.

2002 - the Government of Ukraine decided to demilitarize the island and turn it into a tourism destination in
2004 - Bucharest appealed to the International Court of Justice with a lawsuit on the delimitation of the Black Sea shelf
2006 - Ukraine submitted its position in
2008 to the UN International Court - the court began consideration business

The Ukrainian side in a hurry equipped on Zmein shipyard, erected economic facilities, opened a post office, a branch of the bank, the laboratory of the University of Odessa. In early 2007, she built a "settlement" White. Thus, formally this is no longer an "uninhabited rock". But this did not work for the Hague Court.

On February 3, 2009, the United Nations International Court in The Hague resolved a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Romania on the division of the Black Sea shelf and economic zones near the island of Zmeiny.

According to the court's decision, 79.34% of the disputed territories of the Black Sea shelf (9.7 thousand out of 12.4 thousand sq. Km.) Passed under the control of Romania. At the disposal of Ukraine, 12 miles (about 20 km) of the territorial sea around the island were transferred.