MOSCOW

Russia on Friday accused Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of attacking Russian energy infrastructure in an effort to undermine Moscow's reputation as a reliable energy partner and keep the Ukraine crisis in the international spotlight.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement that earlier this week, Kyiv once again attacked critical international energy infrastructure facilities that provide for gas exports through the TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines.

"By using these methods, the Zelensky regime is hoping not only to undermine Russia's reputation as a reliable energy supplier and transit operator but also to make sure that the Ukraine crisis remains in the international spotlight, especially in the context of the rapidly changing geopolitical environment, considering the developments in the Middle East," she said.

Zakharova slammed the attacks as "terrorist activity," arguing that they were meant to deal a severe blow to regional energy security, which could further destabilize and cause uncertainty in the global energy market.

"Major Western countries have recognised that achieving market stabilisation would be a challenge without Russia's energy resources, but against this backdrop the Zelensky regime has openly opposed their interests and has made no secret of its desire to influence domestic politics in its sponsor countries," she said.

Zakharova alleged that the timing of the Ukrainian attacks, coinciding with Zelensky's meetings with NATO and UK leaders, points to efforts aimed at undermining the search for a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict.

"This is an obvious attempt to disrupt efforts to achieve a settlement by diplomatic means and derail everything achieved as part of this negotiation track," she said.

Zakharova also urged international partners to exert pressure on Kyiv to stop the attacks.