An attempt to carry out an attack on an oil and gas complex facility that provides energy to Türkiye and further Europe was prevented by Russia, the country says, claiming that the attack was perpetrated by Ukraine, which Kyiv has denied.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on its website that it “prevented an attempt by the Ukrainian special services to commit a sabotage and terrorist act at the facility of the oil and gas complex that supplies energy to Turkey and Europe,” according to a Bloomberg report Thursday.
A Russian citizen was been detained whom the FSB claimed was recruited by the Ukrainian special service.
Interfax did not provide any details on which facility was targeted. The only route that carries Russian gas to both Türkiye and Europe is TurkStream, the pipeline crossing the Black Sea. The downlink to Türkiye carries fuel to several European countries, including Serbia and Hungary, which are seen as "friendly" with Moscow.
Russian gas supplier Gazprom PJSC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.
A representative of Ukraine’s State Security Service meanwhile said the organization wouldn’t comment on what he described as fantasies of the Russian special services.
Russia has already cut shipments to Europe through major pipelines, leaving TurkStream and capped transit flows via Ukraine as the last remaining routes which carries just about 20% of Russia’s normal supplies to the continent.
The security services of both Ukraine and Russia have traded such accusations before.
