http://ru.krymr.com/
The Russian government has approved a decree according to which holders of Ukraine-issued licenses can be denied the right to use subsoil assets of the Black and Azov seas in case of a threat to Russia's defense and security, according to the Russian government website.
According to the website, the decision is "aimed at ensuring national defense and security in the Black and Azov seas."
The decree affects licenses issued by Ukraine before the annexation of Crimea by Russia.
The Russian government also approved the rules for determining the procedure for applying to the Federal Agency for the Subsoil Use (Rosnedra) for holders of Ukrainian licenses for receiving the right to access to subsoil, as well as preparing the conclusions by the Russian Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service on whether there are threats to the country’s security.
As reported earlier, on August 21, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine instructed Ukrainian state energy holding Naftogaz of Ukraine to hire lawyers to defend its property rights in Crimea after loss of control over a state company Chornomornaftogaz, which produces gas on the Black Sea shelf, following the Russian annexation of the peninsula.
Read alsoPotential UK prime minister agrees with Putin on annexation of Ukraine's CrimeaChornomornaftogaz is a subsidiary of Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz. The company was established to develop oil and gas resources in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The company has licenses for 17 fields, including 11 gas fields, four oil fields and two gas condensate fields. Its total reserves of all fields are estimated at 58.56 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 1.231 million tonnes of natural gas condensate, and 2.53 million tonnes of crude oil.
In March 2014, Crimean authorities announced that they would nationalize the company.