Moscow and Kiev blame attack on Russian gas station
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for an attack on a gas metering station located in Russia's Kursk region, just a few hundred meters from the two countries' shared border.
According to CNN, the attack on the gas station in Sudzha took place just days after the US proposed a ceasefire between the two countries on each other's energy infrastructure.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Kiev had "deliberately attacked" the station, which has been under Ukrainian control since Ukraine's surprise attack on Kursk in August 2024.
Moscow claimed Ukrainian forces blew up the facility while "retreating from the Kursk region" with the aim of "discrediting the US president's peace initiatives".
On March 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry continued to warn that it "reserves the right to respond, including a proportionate response" to what it said were Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Ukraine described the allegations as “baseless” and said they were aimed at discrediting Kiev and misleading the international community.
“In fact, this station has been shelled by the Russians several times,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a post on Telegram.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia attacked the same station with missiles three days ago.
“The attempts of the Russians to deceive people and pretend that they are observing the ceasefire will not work, nor will the fake news about airstrikes on gas stations,” Andrei Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President’s office, posted on X on March 21.
The Sudzha gas metering station is the last route for Russian natural gas to be transported to Europe via Ukraine. Natural gas transit via Sudzha was terminated on the morning of January 1, 2025, after Kiev refused to extend the contract.
The attack on the station comes more than a week after Russian forces said they had recaptured Sudzha, the largest town captured by Ukraine in its offensive on Kursk. Ukraine’s occupation of parts of Kursk is seen as its only territorial bargaining chip amid pressure to negotiate an end to the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on energy targets in Ukraine after a lengthy phone call with President Donald Trump on March 18,
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said he would support a halt to attacks on energy targets.
Talks aimed at ending the conflict are expected to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 24, with the US delegation expected to sit down with the Ukrainian side first, then with the Russian side.