An attempt was made to destroy the last working pipeline carrying Russian gas energy to Europe, which Moscow claims was attacked by a drone flight over the weekend.
Nine Ukrainian fixed-wing suicide bomber drones attempted to attack the Russian terminus of the Turkstream gas pipeline on Saturday, the Kremlin claimed, with the aim of “cutting off gas supplies to European countries. “I will do that,” he said. Ukraine has not responded to the allegations and its leadership remains harshly critical of European countries that buy Russian energy, but Kiev said it was not yet possible to fact-check Russia's claims. .
The Kremlin claimed that a flight of attack drones attempted to attack a compressor station at the start of the pipeline in Russia's Krasnodar, near occupied Crimea. The facility is a key part of the system, as it builds the gas to pressure before it enters a pipeline under the Black Sea for transport to Turkey's northern coast. The gas is then transported from Türkiye along the Balkans to central Europe.
Russia said it had shot down all nine drones, but that debris that fell from the attack landed on a factory, causing “slight” damage to buildings and “gas measuring equipment.” They say staff from Russia's state energy company Gazprom were able to respond quickly to repair the damage and gas shipments to Europe via Turkey were not disrupted.
Russia's Ministry of Defense blamed the attack on the “Kiev regime” and said the purpose of the attack was “to cut off gas supplies to European countries.”
Reuters noted that it could not independently confirm the incident. In the relatively opaque Ukraine war, confirmation of a particular event often comes from both sides agreeing that it happened, even if they disagree about the relative success of the attack or defense. .
Russia had previously accused Ukraine of trying to attack Turk Stream after allegedly attacking a warship allegedly guarding the pipeline. Claimed in 2023.
This weekend's strike comes just days after the last pipeline delivering Russian gas to Europe through Ukrainian territory was shut down. Despite the pipeline passing through an active war zone, the contract was terminated without prejudice. The closure and previous explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline left TurkStream as the only active pipeline carrying Russian natural gas to Europe.
Turkish Stream can carry the equivalent of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, nevertheless, actual Russian gas imports into Europe are currently 8% of what they were before Russia invades again in 2022. are.
Many European countries have largely succeeded in displacing the Russian energy they were once content with, but the cost is high. Russian gas is the cheapest energy source for most European countries, and replacing it would mean importing LNG at a much higher cost. Additionally, while some European countries were geographically well-positioned to organize LNG imports and had sufficient economic strength to absorb the higher costs, others struggled. In some cases, even during the war, the country continues to rely on imports from Moscow.
These countries have come under severe attack, in some cases from Ukraine, for refusing to undermine their own economies to show support for Kiev. Perhaps the most notable example is Slovakia. The country's prime minister has been labeled by critics as Putin's sycophant after refusing to get involved in the Ukraine war, and was riddled with bullets in the abdomen during a pro-Ukrainian assassination attempt last year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy figuratively gave Fico both barrels on Sunday afternoon, accusing him of short-sightedness and being guilty of a “shadow conspiracy.”
Fico's Slovakia was one of the countries hit hard by Ukraine's suspension of Russian gas shipments earlier this month. I made the arrangements You can continue to receive Russian gas via Turkish Stream. For countries like Slovakia, continued access to cheap Russian gas serves a clear purpose, but it also comes at a price. use cheap energy Both as a means of exerting control and now with Ukraine's apparently ruthless attitude towards those it considers traitors.
