Hungary calls attack on "Turkish Stream" pipeline as assault on sovereignty

Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has said that an attack on the infrastructure of the "Turkish Stream" gas pipeline in Krasnodar region should be regarded as an assault on the sovereignty of the European countries that depend on it.

This pipeline is crucial for Hungary and Central Europe's gas supply, and Budapest expects that its security and functionality will be ensured, Szijjarto wrote on Facebook, Caliber.Az reports.

"Energy security is a matter of sovereignty, so any action threatening the security of our energy supply must be regarded as an attack on sovereignty," he wrote, commenting on the Ukrainian attack on the compressor station in Krasnodar region, which is responsible for the gas supply through the "Turkish Stream." 

On January 13, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that on January 11, Ukraine attempted to attack the "Russkaya" compressor station in  Gaikodzor village by using drones, aiming to disrupt the flow of Russian gas to Europe.

European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen stated during a briefing that the European Commission has not yet made contact with Kyiv regarding the UAV attack on the "Turkish Stream" compressor station, but the Commission is closely monitoring the situation.

"Regarding this information, I can say that any attacks on energy infrastructure are concerning," Itkonen said.

Member of the State Duma Committee on Defence Andrei Kolesnik declared that the attempt by Ukrainian forces to target the "Russkaya" compressor station infrastructure in Gaikodzor, which ensures gas flow through the "Turkish Stream" pipeline, poses a threat to the European continent.

Kolesnik also reminded that Kyiv had previously shut down its gas pipeline, leaving several EU member states without gas.

By Naila Huseynova