Ukrainian assault on TurkStream threatens Hungary’s dominion

(MENAFN) Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has denounced a recent Ukrainian drone strike targeting a compressor station of the TurkStream gas pipeline, calling it an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty due to the pipeline’s crucial role in the country’s energy security.

Szijjarto’s statement came on Saturday after the Russian military reported that it had successfully intercepted a Ukrainian drone assault on the Russkaya compressor station in Russia’s Krasnodar Region the previous night. The station is a key facility for the TurkStream pipeline, which transports Russian gas to Türkiye and several European nations, including Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, three drones were neutralized without causing damage to operations.

“The TurkStream pipeline guarantees Hungary’s natural gas supply, and any disruption would pose a serious threat to our energy security,” Szijjarto wrote on Facebook. “Energy security is a matter of sovereignty, so such attacks should be considered direct threats to our nation’s independence.”

The Hungarian minister also urged the European Commission to clarify its stance on the attack, recalling that EU officials had previously assured member states that Ukraine would not target infrastructure critical to Europe’s energy needs.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov briefed Szijjarto on the attempted strike during a phone call initiated by Hungary, explaining the potential risks it posed to the pipeline’s security.

This is not the first reported attack on the facility. In January, Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian forces launched nine kamikaze drones at the same station, all of which were intercepted. However, debris from the downed drones reportedly caused minor damage. At the time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of engaging in “energy terrorism."

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