Russian security services claim to have foiled an attempt by Ukrainian special services to carry out a “terrorist attack” on the South Stream gas pipeline, Russia’s Federal Security Service, FSB, said Thursday.
South Stream was a project from the early 2010s, later abandoned by Gazprom and Russia in favor of the TurkStream gas pipeline capable of delivering gas through Turkey to Hungary.
“Following a set of investigative measures, the FSB prevented an attempt by Ukrainian special services to carry out an act of sabotage and terrorism on the South Stream gas pipeline supplying energy resources to Turkey and Europe “, said the Russian security service, the heir to the KGB.
Russian citizens ‘involved in the preparation and support of terrorist attack resources’ were arrested and mines and explosives were seized, the FSB said, adding that the attack was to be carried out in the Volgograd region , in the southwest of Russia.
Meanwhile, Sweden said last week that traces of explosives were found near the sites of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline explosions in the Baltic Sea, noting that the incident is “gross sabotage”.
Gas leaks in each of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were discovered end of September from the infrastructure just outside Swedish and Danish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
Earlier this week, Gazprom said it could start to reduce the supply of natural gas to Europe via Ukraine from next Monday after finding that part of the volumes passing through Ukraine did not reach Moldova. Gazprom says it has noticed that some of the gas destined for Moldova under a contract with the local gas company is being diverted to Ukraine. If the imbalance in gas transit continues, Gazprom will start reducing gas flows through Ukraine on the morning of Nov. 28, he said.
Moldova and Ukraine on Wednesday accused Gazprom of “blackmail” for threatening to cut gas supplies.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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