Kiev attack on Russian TurkStream compressor station foiled, says MoD
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Kiev used nine fixed-wing drones to attack a compressor station in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Region.
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A view of hardware of the Jauniunai Gas Compressor station, near Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 5, 2022. (AP)
Ukraine tried to target a TurkStream compressor station near Anapa in the Krasnodar Territory with nine drones, intending to disrupt gas supplies to Europe, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday.
"On January 11, 2025, the Kiev regime, to stop gas supplies to European countries, attempted an attack using nine aircraft-type UAVs on the infrastructure of the Russian compressor station in the village of Gai-Kodzor (Krasnodar Territory), which supplies gas through the Turkish Stream pipeline," the statement read.
The ministry said Russian air defense units intercepted and shot down all the drones, noting that a downed Ukrainian drone caused minor damage to a compressor station in Krasnodar Territory, with no casualties reported.
According to the ministry, the consequences of falling fragments were removed by Gazprom's emergency response teams, and the equipment was immediately restored, adding that "the compressor station supplies gas to the TurkStream pipeline in normal mode. There have been no disruptions."
Impact of a gas supply halt
It is worth mentioning that disrupting gas transit pipelines has a negative impact on the EU, costing countries millions.
In response to Kiev's ongoing threats and attacks, earlier this month, reports confirmed that the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine will stop starting January 1 at 05:00 GMT, as the five-year transit agreement comes to an end. This halt will result in a loss of around 15 billion cubic meters of gas for the European market, with the Balkan Stream pipeline being the sole remaining route for Russian gas deliveries to Europe.
Since November 15, Gazprom has been supplying Europe with 42.4 million cubic meters of gas per day through Ukraine, reaching a peak capacity of 42.5 million cubic meters. Currently, the Sudzha gas metering station is the only point for Russian gas transit from Ukraine to Europe.
In 2023, Gazprom shipped about 15 billion cubic meters through Sudzha, representing 4.5% of the EU's total gas consumption.
The Balkan Stream pipeline delivers up to 15 billion cubic meters of gas annually to countries including Romania, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, supplying gas from the TurkStream pipeline. It is worth noting that experts told RIA Novosti that some of the gas previously flowing through Ukraine could be rerouted via the Turkish route, allowing it to reach Slovakia and Austria.
Ukraine halts production at Pokrovsk coal mine as Russian troops near: Reuters
On a different note, Ukraine's coking coal mine in Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine - key for its steel industry - has stopped production because of the proximity of advancing Russian forces, two Ukrainian industry sources told Reuters on Monday.
"They have all stopped working now," one source said.
Pokrovsk is the only mine in Ukraine that produces coking coal and Ukrainian military analyst DeepState said Russian troops were less than 2 km (1.24 miles) from the facility.
