ANKARA, January 14. /TASS/. The attack on the compressor station of the TurkStream gas pipeline by Ukraine is aimed not only at disrupting the transportation of gas but also influencing the geopolitical dynamics between Russia, Turkey and Europe, Abdullah Agar, a leading Turkish security expert, told TASS.
"The purpose itself is clear: to somehow influence the positions of parties [to the Ukrainian conflict] due to their sensitivity to the gas issue. This is an attempt to influence the position of Russia, Turkey and the positions of parties that receive gas through Turkey. These are, in particular, members of the European Union in the Balkan countries supporting the war," he said.
On the other hand, the attack on the station "is the latest attempt to harm relations between Turkey and Russia and Turkey’s efforts to become a gas hub," the expert added. "This incident broadly impacts all parties involved in the Ukrainian conflict. It’s a strategic attempt to exert pressure across a wide spectrum rather than targeting a single stakeholder. The choice of this particular target is significant, given its implications for energy geopolitics. This sabotage is comparable to the earlier incidents involving the Nord Stream pipelines. It is another asymmetric action in the ongoing war," Agar said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier that to disrupt gas supplies to Europe, Kiev sent nine drones to attack the infrastructure of the Russkaya compressor station in the Krasnodar Region, which supplies gas through the TurkStream pipeline. Despite the attack, the station continues to operate and supply gas to the pipeline as usual.