The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed today that the Russian army attacked a gas pipeline on Ukrainian territory, saying that it supplies the Ukrainian army, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The target was an interconnection gas connection in the Izmail district of the Odessa region, the head of the Odessa regional military administration, Oleg Kiper, wrote earlier today in the "Telegram" application.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky specified that it was about the village of Novosilske, on the Ukrainian border with Romania, where the "Orlovka" gas metering station is located - through it Ukraine receives gas from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.
It passes through Bulgaria and Romania. Last week, Ukraine's state energy company "Naftogaz" announced that it had signed its first agreement with Azerbaijan's SOCAR to import liquefied natural gas via the Trans-Balkan Gas Pipeline, Reuters reported.
According to Zelensky, the aim of the attack was to sabotage Ukraine's preparations for the winter heating season. "This was a targeted attack on our preparations for the heating season - absolutely cynical, like any Russian attack on our energy sector," the Ukrainian head of state said on "Telegram".
Ukraine's Energy Ministry said the station had been attacked by dozens of Russian drones, Reuters reported. According to the ministry, it was "open" an attack "against civilian infrastructure", and was also intended to affect Ukraine's relations with Azerbaijan, the United States and the country's European partners.
Ukrainian authorities have not specified what damage was caused to the Novosilsk gas interconnection and whether operations there are continuing, Reuters notes. According to Ukrainian data, 400,000 cubic meters of gas are scheduled to pass through the Orlovka gas metering station today, the world agency notes.