Russia strikes vital Ukraine gas interconnector, Kyiv says

On Wednesday, Russia struck a vital gas pumping station in Ukraine’s Odesa region, targeting a key LNG import route from the U.S. and Azerbaijan, Ukrainian officials said, severely undermining winter energy preparations.

This station is part of the Orlovka interconnector, a vital link in the Transbalkan gas pipeline used to supply Ukraine with LNG from Greece, the United States, and Azerbaijan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as “a deliberate blow to our preparations for the heating season, absolutely cynical, like every Russian blow to the energy sector.”

The Ministry of Energy called the attack “purely against civilian infrastructure,” targeting energy systems and diplomatic ties with Azerbaijan, the U.S., and European partners, while impacting the everyday lives of Ukrainians and Europeans.

The strike comes during Ukraine’s ongoing energy crisis following multiple Russian missile attacks earlier this year that crippled domestic gas production.

Despite Russia’s denial of targeting civilians, Kyiv says energy infrastructure is a deliberate focus to weaken the country’s war effort.

Kyiv stresses the importance of this route, which provides access to LNG from Greek and Turkish terminals, Azerbaijani and Romanian pipeline gas, and potentially Bulgarian offshore supplies.

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