MOSCOW

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Ukraine of attacking the Russkya pumping station used to transport gas to Türkiye and Europe, claiming Kyiv is trying to disrupt deliveries of Russian energy resources to Europe.

In a statement, the ministry said Ukraine is intentionally targeting infrastructure used to transport oil and gas to Europe.

"On the night of March 12 this year, the Kyiv regime, with the aim of halting gas supplies to European consumers, carried out an attack using fixed-wing strike drones on the Russkaya compressor station in the locality of Gay-Kodzor, Krasnodar Territory," it said.

According to the ministry, 10 drones were shot down over the gas compressor station that ensures gas supply via the TurkStream pipeline.

Commenting on the attack on the Russkaya compressor station, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced it as “reckless.”

"Last night there were attempts to launch drone strikes on the Russian compressor station again. This is a coastal station that provides gas pumping via the South Stream. This is another attack on an international facility, a line of an international oil pipeline that ensures the energy security of Türkiye and a number of other countries. Absolutely reckless actions of the Kyiv regime," he told a press briefing in Moscow.

Meanwhile, another Ukrainian attack on Russia's energy infrastructure was successful. An oil depot in Tikhoretsk in the Krasnodar region caught fire following a drone attack, regional authorities said on Telegram.

The fire engulfed 3,800 square meters, authorities said.

The facility and its infrastructure are used to transport oil and gas to the city of Novorossiysk, and from there to Europe.

Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attack on the oil depot in Tikhoretsk. Ukrainian state media, citing sources in the Security Service of Ukraine, confirmed that they were behind the strike.

On Jan. 27, Ukraine halted deliveries of energy resources via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. In response, Budapest blocked a 90 million euro ($105 million) credit to Ukraine.

Hungary currently continues receiving Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline and delivering it to Slovakia.

The incident comes amid Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the major waterway that transports about 20 percent of global oil from the Persian Gulf, for the past 10 days following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.