KYIV, Feb 23 - Russia has illegally extracted 7.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas from Crimea after annexing the peninsula in March 2014, Svitlana Nezhnova, the board director at Chornomornaftogaz, said Friday.

Nearly half of the illegally extracted gas – about 3.5 billion cu m – was produced at the Odeske field offshore the Black Sea near Crimea, she said.