MOSCOW – Russian government officials on Monday accused Ukraine of likely being behind explosive devices discovered near a major gas pipeline in Serbia that transports Russian energy to Hungary, though they acknowledged lacking definitive proof at this time.
The allegations emerged after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called an emergency defense meeting on Sunday following the discovery of explosives near the TurkStream pipeline. Orban, who is facing a challenging reelection campaign ahead of Sunday’s vote, has previously stated that Ukraine has spent years attempting to disconnect Europe from Russian energy sources, but stopped short of directly accusing Kyiv of responsibility for this specific incident.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has categorically denied any connection to the explosive devices found near the pipeline infrastructure.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the situation as extremely concerning during a press briefing with reporters. “The situation is potentially very dangerous. This is a vital energy artery, which is currently operating under extreme strain. And prior to this, as we know, the Kyiv regime was directly involved in such acts of sabotage against critical energy infrastructure,” Peskov stated.
“It is highly likely that signs of the Kyiv regime’s involvement will be found this time too,” he continued, expressing Moscow’s expectation that Hungarian and Serbian authorities would take steps to reduce the security threat.
Peskov also referenced recent diplomatic discussions, saying: “We also hope that, during recent talks (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy held in Ankara, the head of the Kyiv regime was made aware that such aggressive actions against the infrastructure of the South Stream and Blue Stream pipelines are unacceptable.”
