Ukraine attacks Russian gas pipeline - 'AN ACT OF TERRORISM'

Ukrainian attack on gas facility an act of terrorism – Moscow

RT

Russia’s Investigative Committee has classified the attack on the Sudzha gas metering station on the border with Ukraine as an act of terrorism and launched a criminal probe, according to a statement. The incident in Kursk Region took place early on Friday.

The facility had been previously used to deliver natural gas from Russia via Ukraine to consumers in European nations.

”On Thursday, Ukrainian military personnel, who had illegally invaded Russian territory, carried out a targeted bombing of the station. As a result, the facility suffered significant damage,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Telegram on Friday. The authorities have vowed to identify and bring to justice those involved in the crime.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, and agreed to a US-mediated partial ceasefire. Under its terms, Moscow pledged to refrain from attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure in exchange for a similar moratorium by Kiev. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky also agreed to the plan.

The next day, the Defense Ministry reported a Ukrainian strike on an oil depot in Krasnodar Region and labeled it a provocation meant to disrupt Trump’s peace initiative.

The latest attack on Sudzha is evidence that Kiev cannot be trusted, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. He added that Putin’s order not to attack Ukrainian energy sites remained in force, per his agreement with Trump.

Ukrainian forces seized the site last August during their incursion into Kursk Region and used it as a secure logistics base, Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier. The station, located close to the border, was deliberately blown up during the Ukrainian retreat, it explained.

Ukraine attacks Russian gas pipeline – reports

RT

Ukrainian troops have attacked a key gas pipeline in western Russia that was previously used to deliver gas to the EU, Telegram news channels have claimed.

According to the Mash and Baza news channels, Kiev’s forces damaged the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Region overnight from Thursday to Friday.

Videos circulating online show a large fire at the facility. It is unclear whether the station was hit by a kamikaze drone or artillery. The authorities have not commented on the reported incident.

Ukraine invaded parts of Kursk Region in early August, capturing the town of Sudzha and dozens of villages. The Russian troops liberated Sudzha and its surroundings earlier this month. 

Russian military bloggers have suggested that the Ukrainians may have rigged the gas equipment with explosives before retreating.

The metering station is part of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline, which for decades had delivered gas from Russia to the EU through Ukrainian territory. The flow did not stop even after the Ukrainians captured the station during their incursion last year. 

Kiev, however, has refused to renew the contract with Russian operator Gazprom and stopped the transit at the start of this year.

Following a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day pause on strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. 

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky said on Thursday that Kiev would also honor the agreement. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the same day, however, that Ukraine had “violated the truce proposed by the US president.”

What Ceasefire: European Gas Prices Jump After Ukraine Blows Up Key Gas Pumping Station In Russia In "Act Of Terrorism"