Ukraine blows up Togliatti-Odessa Ammonia pipeline in Kharkov region
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The Russian Defense Ministry reported some casualties as a result of the blast.
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A destroyed building on the outskirts of Odessa Ukraine on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (AP)
According to the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Ukraine has blown up the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline in Kharkov, with some casualties reported.
"On June 5, at about 21:00 Moscow time [18:00 GMT], a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group blew up the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline near the settlement Masyutovka in Kharkov Region," the ministry announced, adding that the blast was "a designated terrorist attack," and that those injured have received proper medical care.
The Russian defense ministry detailed that "ammonia residues are being drained from the Ukrainian territory through the damaged sections of the pipeline. There are no casualties among Russian soldiers."
Footage of deadly clouds of ammonia vapor spilling into the nearby environment circulated online, purportedly documenting the repercussions of the sabotaged assault.
Although ammonia is not classified as a standard chemical warfare agent, exposure to extremely high amounts of the chemical can induce lung damage and death. Ammonia is also extremely harmful to fish, animals, and plant life.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that repairing the pipeline could last a few months in the case that Russia could access the site.
During a briefing, the spokeswoman noted that one of the stations is now out of order and that preliminary estimates show the repair will take " about one to three months. This, of course, will require access to the site of the damage."
Zakharova added that the Ukrainian President announced he would fix the problem of the pipeline "but this does not mean readiness on his part to resume the transportation of ammonia. We will make an effort to clarify the circumstances of the incident. But even now we can already state that only one party was never interested in reanimating the pipeline - the Kiev regime."
The Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline goes from the Russian province of Samara to Kharkov, then south and west to the Black Sea coastal city of Odessa, where the resource is exported. Ammonia is a significant basic element utilized in natural fertilizer enrichment.
The pipeline, built in 1979 soviet-era could transport up to 2.5 million tonnes of ammonia per year until recently.
Russia has attempted to revive the pipeline as part of the Grain Deal and issued a warning last month that if its demands to link the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT and reopen the pipeline were not met, the Grain Deal will be canceled on July 17
The attack on the pipeline is the second major act of environmental terrorism that Ukraine has been accused of by Moscow this week.
On Tuesday, the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine was blown by shelling unleashing a flood of water across the war zone.
Read more: Russia requests UNSC meeting over Kakhovka dam destruction
Reports warned that the critically rising water levels could threaten 80 local settlements and that the damage to the dam will also lead to problems with water supplies to Crimea.
Kiev forces have repeatedly targeted the plant and its dam since 2022 and Russia has repeatedly warned of its destruction or damage.
Ukraine attacked the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in September 2022, something the CIA had knowledge of according to a report by The Washington Post Yesterday.
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claimed in March that President Joe Biden was responsible for ordering the Nord Stream pipeline explosion in September last year by using C-4 charges planted by US Navy divers.
He revealed that it was Norway that pointed out to the US the location of where the underwater pipeline was closest to the surface to facilitate the US operation.
