Three Ukrainian uncrewed speedboats carried out an unsuccessful attack against the Russian warship Ivan Hurs in the Black Sea near the Bosporus, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry said the warship had been protecting the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines – which carry gas from Russia to Türkiye, partly across the Black Sea – and "continues to fulfill its tasks."
No comment was immediately available from Kyiv.
The ministry cited the attack as a justification for Russia expanding defensive measures. Explosions last September damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines bringing gas from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany.
The Russian statement appeared likely to raise tensions in the Black Sea, where Russia only agreed last week, one day before the deadline, to extend a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain safely from its seaports.
Carrying natural gas from Russia to Türkiye and further into Europe, the TurkStream was formally launched in January 2020. The pipeline, which allows Moscow to bypass Ukraine as a transit route to Europe, carries Russian gas to Southern Europe through the Black Sea and Türkiye.
It has an annual capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) and consists of two 930-kilometer offshore lines and two separate onshore lines that are 142 kilometers (88.2 miles) and 70 kilometers long.
The first line with a capacity of 15.75 bcm is designated for supplies to Türkiye’s domestic customers. The downlink to Türkiye carries gas to several European countries, including Serbia and Hungary.
Blue Stream, however, crosses the eastern Black Sea from north to south, making landfall more than 700 km east of the Bosporus.
"All enemy boats were destroyed by fire from the standard armament of a Russian ship 140 km northeast of the Bosphorus," the statement added.
The Ivan Hurs is a medium reconnaissance ship launched in 2013.
