Ukrainian officials said they bombarded Russia with a massive missile and drone attack. Moscow said part of the attack was aimed at the TurkStream Pipeline.
Ukrainian officials said a drone attack on Monday night was the largest Kiev has launched against Russia since the start of the war. Russian sources said over 200 Ukrainian drones and missiles were downed. Kiev says it targeted Russian weapons production plants, oil refineries, and warehouses.
Russian sources reported the munitions hit industrial and energy infrastructure. Among the targets, the Kremlin says, is the TurkStream Pipeline. The pipeline carries gas from Russia, through the Black Sea and on to Western Turkey.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blasted Washington for the Ukrainian attack. “The US does not tolerate competition in any sphere, including energy. They are recklessly endorsing terrorist activities aimed at undermining the energy stability of the European Union,” he said. “They are encouraging their Ukrainian proxies to disable TurkStream following the sabotage of Nord Stream.”
Nord Stream was a series of four pipelines that moved gas from Russia to Germany. In September 2022, three of the four pipelines were destroyed by explosives in a sabotage attack. The last of the Nord Stream pipelines has remained closed due to sanctions on Moscow.
Russia says it downed nine drones targeting the pipeline. The TurkStream is the last operating pipeline bringing gas from Russia to the European Union.
At the start of the year, Ukraine refused to renew a gas transit deal with Russia, shuttering the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline. That pipeline brought gas from Russia through Ukraine to Slovakia.
Bratislava has reacted sharply to Kiev ending the flow of gas, with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatening to cut energy transfers to Ukraine.
