The European Commission has expressed concern over reports of a foiled Ukrainian drone attack on a gas pipeline that supplies several EU member states.
Moscow announced on Monday that Ukrainian forces had launched nine drones loaded with explosives over the weekend, targeting a section of the TurkStream pipeline in southern Russia. The drones were reportedly shot down in time.
The 2010-commissioned pipeline, with an annual capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas, pumps Russian energy to Turkey and from there to Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece.
During a press conference on Monday, the European Commission’s energy, climate, and environment spokesperson, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, stated, “Of course, any attack on energy infrastructure is worrying.”
“We had no special contacts with the Ukrainian side on this topic, but we are naturally monitoring the situation in terms of all questions of energy security in Ukraine, Moldova, and our member states” she added.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the kamikaze drones were intercepted near the Russkaya gas compression station near the village of Gai-Kodsor in the Krasnodar region. The facility plays a key role in the operation of the TurkStream pipeline. Russian military officials claimed that Kiev’s attack attempt was aimed at “stopping gas deliveries to European countries.”
Although the attack was largely repelled, one drone crashed near a gas compressor station, causing minor damage that was quickly repaired by the facility’s personnel, according to the Russian military. The incident did not disrupt supplies, a statement said.
This is not the first time Moscow has accused Kiev of trying to sabotage the TurkStream pipeline.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, commented on the attack in a Facebook post, describing the pipeline as a reliable and essential transportation route for Hungary’s natural gas supply.
“We expect everyone to respect the security and functionality of this transportation route” the diplomat said.
Last year, Kiev refused to extend a multi-year contract with Moscow, allowing the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory to Central and Eastern Europe. Consumer countries, including Hungary and Slovakia, criticized the decision, accusing the Ukrainian leadership of creating an energy crisis to achieve their political goals.