Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking last gas pipeline to Europe

(CLO) The Russian Defense Ministry accused the Ukrainian army of attacking a gas station on the Turkish Stream pipeline, aiming to "cut off gas supplies to European countries," according to local news site Crimean Wind.

Turkish Stream is a gas pipeline from Russia to Türkiye and supplies gas to regions in Southern and Southeastern Europe, helping Russia avoid dependence on Ukraine as a gas transit country.

After Ukraine suspended the transit of Russian gas through its territory earlier this month, Turkish Stream became the only route for Russia to export gas to Europe, Middle East Monitor reported.

Turkish Stream is a gas pipeline from Russia to Türkiye. Screenshot

According to the ASTRA news site on Telegram, on January 11, nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked the Russkaya gas compressor station in the village of Gai-Kodzor, in Russia's Krasnodar region.

The Russian Defense Ministry said all the UAVs were shot down, but fragments from one caused minor damage to the gas station’s buildings and equipment. Russia also confirmed that the damage was quickly repaired and the station is operating normally.

According to EurAsia Daily, on January 11, the Turkish Stream pipeline exported about 47 million cubic meters of gas to Europe. On average, the pipeline transports about 32 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Telegram on January 1 that the gas transit agreement between Ukraine and Russia's Gazprom energy corporation had expired. This made it impossible for Russia to use Ukraine as a gas transit route to Europe, forcing Russia to rely entirely on the Turkish Stream route.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated: "On January 11, 2025, the Kiev authorities attempted to attack the infrastructure of the gas compressor station in the village of Gai-Kodzor with nine UAVs in order to cut off gas supplies to European countries via the Turkish Stream pipeline. There were no casualties and no serious damage. One crashed UAV caused minor damage to the building and equipment of the gas metering station."

The construction of the Turkish Stream pipeline was once considered to increase Ukraine's political disadvantage, as the country lost its leverage in controlling Russian gas exports to Europe.

Now that Turkish Stream has become the sole route for Russian gas, tensions in the Krasnodar region – home to a key compressor station – are at risk of escalating.

According to international experts, any disruption to Turkish Stream could cause Europe to face a serious energy crisis, especially in the context of the ongoing winter and gas supplies from Russia still playing an important role.

Cao Phong (according to TASS, Newsweek, WP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nga-cao-buoc-ukraine-tan-cong-duong-ong-khi-dot-cuoi-cung-toi-chau-au-post330306.html