Putin Claims Intelligence on Alleged Plot to Target Black Sea Gas Pipelines
Moscow, The Gulf Observer: Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow is aware of alleged plans to attack gas pipelines running beneath the Black Sea, including TurkStream and Blue Stream. According to the president, the purported plot is intended to disrupt efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful settlement to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking on Tuesday at a meeting of the board of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Putin said intelligence had been obtained regarding plans to strike “our gas systems under the Black Sea.” He argued that such actions were designed to derail diplomatic initiatives and undermine progress made in negotiations.
“They simply cannot calm down. They don’t know what else to do to derail the [Ukraine] peace process and the attempt to reach a settlement through diplomatic means. They are doing everything to stage some kind of provocation and break everything that has been so carefully achieved on this negotiation track,” Putin said.
The Russian leader did not publicly attribute the alleged plot to any specific country or group, noting that the matter would be discussed further during the closed session of the FSB board meeting.
Energy infrastructure in and around the Black Sea has faced repeated attacks since the escalation of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev. Russian authorities have previously reported long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strikes on coastal facilities, as well as attempts to target naval vessels patrolling the pipelines using sea drones.
In October last year, FSB chief Aleksandr Bortnikov claimed that Ukraine, in coordination with the United Kingdom, was preparing an attack on TurkStream. He also alleged that London and Kiev were planning strikes on other critical infrastructure sites in Russia through the use of aerial and maritime drones, as well as saboteur divers.
The issue of underwater energy security gained global attention following the September 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The incident marked one of the most significant attacks on subsea energy infrastructure in modern history. While some Western reports have suggested the involvement of Ukrainian divers, Moscow has expressed skepticism over that account, proposing that Western state actors may have been involved in the sabotage.
The latest remarks from the Kremlin underscore ongoing tensions surrounding energy security and infrastructure protection amid the protracted conflict.
