Russia says Ukraine targeted infrastructure of gas pipeline to Turkey

MOSCOW: Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on infrastructure of the TurkStream gas pipeline, which carries Russian gas to Europe via Turkey.

“On January 11, the Kyiv regime, in order to cut off gas supplies to European countries, attempted an attack with nine drones,” on a gas compressor station in southern Russia that supplies the TurkStream pipeline, Moscow’s defence ministry said in a statement.

It said all the drones were shot down, with the falling debris causing “minor damage” to a building and equipment at a gas measuring station.

The site is located in the village of Gai-Kodzor, near Russia’s southern coast on the Black Sea and across from the annexed peninsula of Crimea, which has been heavily targeted by Kyiv throughout the three-year conflict.

The defence ministry said the facility was continuing to work in “normal mode” and there had been no disruptions to supply.

TurkStream, which runs from Russia under the Black Sea to Turkey and then up through the Balkans, is the last active pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe.

It runs 930 kilometres under the Black Sea and has an annual capacity of 31.5 billion cubic metres.

Ukraine halted the transit of Russian gas on January 1, which had for decades been the main route for shipping Russian supplies to Europe.

The 27-member EU has been reducing its dependence on Russian gas since Moscow launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Despite imports of gas via pipeline having fallen, several European countries have increased their purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is transported by sea.