Targeting TurkStream pipeline amounts to attack on sovereignty of nations using its gas: Hungary

SARAJEVO, Bosnia Herzegovina

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday that an alleged attack on the Turkish Stream pipeline constitutes an attack on the sovereign rights of the countries that use it.

Szijjarto's remarks came after Russia claimed on Monday that Ukraine attempted to strike a compressor station supplying gas through the TurkStream.

“Security of energy supply is a sovereignty matter; therefore, every action that threatens the security of our energy supply must be considered an attack against sovereignty,” Szijjarto stated in a Facebook post.

He said Hungary expects that the TurkStream remain safe and functional.

"The TurkStream pipeline is critical for natural gas supply in Hungary and Central Europe. This freight route has been operating reliably for many years; both carriers and transit countries adhere to their contractual obligations and behave consistently,” Szijjarto stated.

Earlier, a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry said the country's air defenses shot down nine Ukrainian drones heading toward the Russkaya compressor station near the village of Gai-Kodzor in the southern Krasnodar region.

The statement said there were no casualties, but infrastructure within the facility received minor damage due to fragments from the downed drones.

Spanning over 930 kilometers (578 miles) across the Black Sea, the TurkStream natural gas pipeline runs from the Russkaya compressor station and makes landfall in the Thrace region of northwestern Türkiye.

The claim comes as a five-year deal between Moscow and Kyiv on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine expired on Jan. 1.