Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Tuesday that Ukraine is preparing strikes on the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in the Black Sea, saying the threat emerged as Moscow investigates a deadly attack in the capital that he argued sought to undermine ongoing peace efforts.
Speaking at a meeting of the Federal Security Service in Moscow, Putin also commented on Monday night's terrorist attack in the capital that left a policeman dead, saying it was an attempt to disrupt the peace talks aimed at ending the Ukrainian conflict.
"Right now, our operational information is being released to the media. It concerns a possible explosion of our gas systems along the bottom of the Black Sea. This is the so-called TurkStream and Blue Stream. They just can't calm down," he said.
Both the Blue Stream and TurkStream gas pipelines were built to transport natural gas from Russia to Türkiye.
Turning to the attack on the police, he said it may have been the result of recruitment via the internet, and that the recruited individual was carrying a bomb that was detonated remotely.
"It is already clear – apparently, it was the kind of recruitment common today, via the internet, most likely. They shoved an explosive device into the person's hands, and then remotely detonated both him and the intended target of the attack, in this case, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs," he said.
According to Putin, the perpetrator "most likely didn't even know anything."
The Interior Ministry said an unidentified individual exploded a bomb near a traffic police post near Moscow's Savyolovsky Railway Station. As a result, one policeman was killed, two others injured. The perpetrator was killed as well.
Putin also emphasized an increased number of attempted attacks against officials of the Defense Ministry and the military-industrial complex, as well as against journalists, volunteers, and opinion leaders, instructing the security service to strengthen their protection.
