Abdullah Agar, Turkey's top security expert, told TASS that the attack on the gas compressors of the TurkStream gas pipeline was not only aimed at disrupting Russian gas transit but also had an impact on geopolitical dynamics between Russia, Turkey and Europe.
"The very obvious purpose: Somehow affecting the position of the parties in the Ukrainian conflict because they are sensitive to the gas issue. This is an effort to impact the position of Russia, Turkey and the position of gas receiving parties through Turkey. These are members of the European Union in the Balkan countries that support the war," he said.
On the other hand, the attack on the last gas pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe "is the latest attempt to harm Turkey-Russia relations as well as Turkey's efforts to become a gas hub," the expert added.
Expert Abdullah Agar said that the attack on the TurkStream gas pipeline " had a widespread impact on all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine. This is a strategic effort to apply widespread pressure rather than targeting a single stakeholder. Choosing this specific target is very important, considering the impacts on energy geopolitics. This sabotage case can be compared to previous incidents related to the Nord Stream pipeline.
Also commenting on the attack on TurkStream, Turkey's top energy expert Necdet Pamir told TASS that the US and the European Union appear to have an advantage in the attack on the gas pipeline's infrastructure.
"We have to ask which side will suffer losses in case of sabotage? TurkStream has 2 parallel pipelines, each pipeline can transport 15.75 billion m3. One pipeline meets Turkey's gas needs, the other one serves the needs of Balkan and Central European countries. The attack does not appear to have affected gas supplies. However, if gas flows are cut off, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Balkan and Central European countries, especially Hungary, will be hit hardest. From this perspective, the US and the current EU leaders, the US satellites, are often suspects," he said.
Necdet Pamir noted that there is currently no evidence for the arguments he has just mentioned, but "similar statements have been widely spread after the Nord Stream attack".
" moreover, this could be a message to Turkey in response to its policy on Syria," Necdet Pamir added.
Expert Pamir hopes that "the relationship between the US and Russia will stabilize after US President-elect Donald Trump takes office". He also hopes that after the elections in Germany as well as in the EU, the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines will be put back into operation, helping gas prices to fall to a reasonable level and thereby reducing the cost of gas imports from Turkey.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on January 13 that in order to disrupt Russian gas supplies to Europe, on January 11, Ukraine deployed 9 drones to attack the infrastructure of the Russkaya gas compressors in the Krasnodar region, which supplies gas to the TurkStream pipeline. After the attack, the plant continued to operate and supply gas to the pipeline as usual.
