Gazprom said Thursday that Ukraine attacked energy sites in the southern Krasnodar region linked to the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines, which pass through the Black Sea and carry natural gas to Turkey.
In a statement, the company said that 26 Ukrainian drones targeted three compressor stations between Tuesday and Thursday, but stressed that the Russian military had intercepted all of the aircraft. No injuries or damage were reported.
Gazprom said the compressor stations “ensure” the flow of natural gas through the two pipelines, which are the only remaining routes for Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe.
The Kremlin condemned the drone attacks on Thursday,
“As global energy markets are feeling unease… such irresponsible and thoughtless actions by the Kyiv regime can further destabilize the situation in the region and the entire world,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a daily briefing.
The reported Ukrainian attack comes as natural gas prices in Europe hit their highest level since January 2023 following Iran’s strikes on Qatar’s liquefied natural gas hub on Wednesday.
Gazprom previously reported Ukrainian drone attacks on its compressor stations in Krasnodar last week.
At the time, Peskov said Russia had warned Turkey about possible sabotage attempts targeting the TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines.
Both Ukraine and Russia regularly launch drone and missile attacks at each other’s territory, with officials in Kyiv justifying their strikes as retaliation for Russia’s full-scale invasion and ongoing occupation of Ukrainian territory.
Kyiv says it primarily targets military and energy infrastructure in an attempt to impede the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war.
President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is ready to supply oil and gas to European buyers amid the Middle East war, but Peskov said Wednesday that EU countries have not yet shown any interest in renewing energy cooperation.
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