FSUOGM: FSB claims sabotage foiled at "South Stream" gas pipeline

Russia’s federal security service (FSB) reported on November 24 that it had prevented a sabotage attempt by Ukrainian special forces at the “South Stream” gas pipeline.

"As a result of a set of investigative measures, [the FSB] prevented an attempt by Ukrainian special services to commit an act of sabotage and terrorism on the South Stream gas pipeline supplying energy resources to Turkey and Europe," the FSB said.

South Stream was a former pipeline project that would have run from Russia to Bulgaria, but was axed in 2014. It is unclear whether the FSB was referring to the TurkStream, South Stream’s replacement, which was completed at the end of 2019. It is capable of flowing 31.5bn cubic metres per year of gas, with half of that capacity reserved for the Turkish market and the other half for southern Europe.

This is not the first time that Russia has claimed sabotage attempts against its Black Sea pipeline. The FSB reported a foiled sabotage attempt in September against an oil and gas facility in the Black Sea area that supplies energy to Turkey and Europe, in a likely reference to TurkStream.

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