A blow to the proposed moratorium on energy attacks has struck after a Russian gas pumping station was reportedly blown up by Ukraine in a border area where Ukrainian troops have been retreating. The incident occurred inside a pocket of Russian territory that had been captured by Ukrainian forces last year, but which Moscow has largely recovered in recent weeks.
Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine’s troops had left the facility and carried out the explosion as they withdrew, claiming it was a violation of the proposed moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. However, Kyiv denied this, saying Russian forces had blown up the facility themselves as a provocation.
The incident has raised tensions between the two nations amid talks over a U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal. Moscow agreed to pause attacks on energy facilities during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, but Kyiv says it is prepared to accept this proposal if hammered out formally in negotiations.
In response to the explosion, Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over what it called an “act of terrorism”, which caused significant damage to the facility. The Ukrainian military accused Russian forces of shelling the site with artillery in a false flag operation, saying that Moscow was trying to deceive the international community.
The incident marks another escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides accusing each other of violating the proposed moratorium on energy attacks.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/blast-shakes-burning-russian-oil-depot-authorities-say-2025-03-21