Russia has transferred a diplomatic file containing evidence of Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure related to Turkey to Turkey, many sources familiar with the Middle East Eye revealed.
The document was given to Turkish counterparts by Russian officials earlier this month. Evidence provided by Russia includes maps and other documents to track Ukrainian attacks on the TurkStream pipeline and other energy infrastructure in Russian territory.
A source familiar with the matter said the dossier had been thoroughly assessed by Turkey. Russia has also handed over similar files to several European countries, the source said.
In January this year, the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of attacking the gas compression station of the TurkStream pipeline system in Krasnodar with 9 drones attacking the "kamikaze".
Russia's air defense system intercepted all drones in the attack. However, debris from an explosion caused minor damage to the building and equipment at a gas measuring unit.
Last month, Russia again reported that it had repelled the attack by three Ukrainian drones targeting the gas compression plant that had been attacked the previous time.
TurkStream, over 930km long, is currently the only direct gas pipeline between Russia and Europe. Russian gas is delivered to Turkey via the TurkStream pipeline in the Black Sea, then continues to Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary via the Balkan Stream pipeline.
Russian gas is also delivered to Turkey via the BlueStream pipeline in the Black Sea, which supplies gas directly to the Turkish mainland.
Since 2023, Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of trying to attack the TurkStream pipeline using drones and other vehicles.
Last year, a senior Turkish official revealed to the Middle East Eye that Turkey's assessment was in line with Moscow's assessment that Kiev was targeting the TurkStream pipeline.
TurkStream is a strategic energy project for both Russia and Turkey, especially as Turkey aims to become a regional energy hub.
The TurkStream pipeline supplies 31 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Turkey annually, while the BlueStream pipeline provides another 16 billion cubic meters.
In January this year, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar publicly confirmed that there had been an attack on TurkStream and the uninterrupted flow of gas through the pipeline.
Last year, German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the then-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, had planned to conduct a naval campaign in the Black Sea by the end of 2022 against the TurkStream pipeline. This campaign finally failed.
