Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed that an attack on the TurkStream gas pipeline took place last weekend, but the pipeline's operations were not affected - RT reported.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had targeted the Russkaya gas compressor station in Russia’s Krasnodar region, which supplies gas to the TurkStream pipeline. The attack, which reportedly took place on January 11, was carried out by nine Ukrainian suicide drones.
Most of the drones were intercepted, with only one crashing near the gas station, causing minor damage. This damage was quickly repaired by the technical team.
Speaking to reporters at the Turkish Parliament on January 15, Mr. Bayraktar confirmed the attack but assured that the gas pipeline's operations were not affected.
“There was no disruption in the gas flow after the attack. The pipeline is still operating at normal capacity,” he stressed.
TurkStream is an important energy corridor, transporting gas from Russia to Turkey via the Black Sea. It is also the only route for Russian gas to southern and southeastern Europe after Ukraine refused to extend the Russian gas transit agreement from January 1, 2025.
In 2024, the volume of gas transported via TurkStream will increase by 23% to 16.7 billion cubic meters. The pipeline has two branches - one serving Türkiye's domestic needs, the other transporting gas to Bulgaria via Strandzha station. The Balkan route continues through Bulgaria and Serbia to Hungary, and connects to distribute Russian gas to other European Union (EU) countries.
With a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters per year, TurkStream plays an important role in regional energy security.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukraine of plotting attacks on the vital gas pipeline in recent years. After the latest attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned Ukraine.
