Ukraine attacks pipeline infrastructure with drones

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Lerato Khumalo

Black Sea pipeline

Moscow: Ukraine attacks pipeline infrastructure with drones

Updated on January 13, 2025 – 10:45 amReading time: 1 min.

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Moscow blames Kiev for a drone attack on a TurkStream gas compressor station. Ukraine has not yet commented on this. (archive image) (Source: —/ukrin/dpa/dpa-bilder)

Both Russia and Ukraine regularly use combat drones against targets in the enemy’s hinterland. Moscow is now accusing Kiev of an attack against a “TurkStream” compressor station.

Russia has accused Ukraine of a drone attack on a gas compressor station for the Black Sea pipeline “TurkStream” in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said all combat drones had been shot down. There were no casualties among employees and damage caused by falling debris was repaired immediately. It was said that the “Russkaya” compressor station, located a good 320 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian front line, was in normal operation. Kyiv has not yet commented on the accusation.

The pipeline, which went into operation in 2020, transports natural gas over a length of around 1,100 kilometers through the Black Sea to the European part of Türkiye. The fuel is then transported via connecting pipelines to mainly Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary. Due to an expired transit contract, Russian natural gas has no longer flowed via Ukraine to the states of the European Union since the beginning of the year. “TurkStream” is currently an alternative route for Russian pipeline gas to EU countries.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Air Force informed about 110 combat drones used by the Russian military against targets in the hinterland. 78 were shot down. The location of 31 others was lost, mostly due to electronic warfare. In four regions, several buildings and residential buildings were damaged by falling debris. There were no victims.

Ukraine has been resisting a Russian invasion for almost three years.