Russia attacked a gas pumping post in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine, used in a US and Azerbaijan liquefied natural gas (LNG) scheme, impairing preparations for winter, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday (6).
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that gas infrastructure was attacked in the village of Novasilske, on the Romania border, where Orlovka’s interconnection is located, where Ukraine receives gas through the transalchanical route.
“This was a deliberate blow in our preparations for the absolutely cynical warming season, like all Russian scams in the energy sector,” Zelensky said in the Telegram app.
Russian news agency Tass cited the Russian Ministry of Defense as confirming the attack on the transportation system of
Kiev has faced a serious gas scarcity since a series of devastating attacks on Russian missiles this year, which significantly reduced domestic production.
The Ukraine Ministry of Energy stated in a statement that the attacked season was used as part of a route that connects GNL Greek terminals with Ukrainian gas storage facilities through transbalconical pipeline.
He noted that the station had already been used to provide LNG from the United States and test Azerbaijan gas volumes.
“This is a purely Russian attack on civil infrastructure, deliberately aimed at the energy sector and, at the same time, relations with the United States and partners in Europe, as well as the normal life of the Ukrainians and all Europeans,” the ministry said.
President Azerbaijano, Island Aliyev, will meet with the American leader, in Washington this week.
Russia has repeatedly reflected civilians since three years ago, but states that infrastructures such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help the war effort.
Earlier on Wednesday (6), the governor of the southern region of Odessa reported an attack on the main pipeline.
Ukrainian energy authorities did not say whether the gas would continue to be pumped through the interconnector.
Kiev states that 0.4 million cubic meters of gas were scheduled to be pumped by Orlovka Russian city on Wednesday.
Last month, Ukraine pumped a small volume of Azerbaijan gas through the transbalconical route for the first time and announced plans to significantly increase gas imports from the Azerbaijan Energy Company.
Kiev has classified the route “extremely important” as it provides access to liquefied gas from Greek and Turkish LNG terminals, Azerbaijan and Romanian gas pipeline gas and potentially to Bulgarian offshore gas.
