The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video showing the Black Sea Fleet's reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs destroying high-speed motorboats that were trying to approach and attack the ship. The crew of the Ivan Khurs hit the Ukrainian boat at close range and caused it to explode. At the time, the Ivan Khurs was about 140 kilometers northeast of the Bosporus Strait.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry said the Ivan Khurs ship had been protecting the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines (which carry gas from Russia to Türkiye, partly through the Black Sea) and "continued to fulfill its tasks."
Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking ships guarding Black Sea gas pipeline. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry
According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, "the Ukrainian military failed in its attempt to use three unmanned suicide boats to attack the Ivan Khurs ship of the Black Sea Fleet, which was on patrol to ensure the safety of the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in Turkey's exclusive economic zone."
"After the terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in September 2022, the Russian military took a number of measures to protect similar infrastructure. This has worked," Konashenkov stressed.
Daily Sabah (Turkey) reported that Kiev has not commented on the above information.
The statement from Russia appears to add to tensions in the Black Sea, as Russia only agreed to extend the Black Sea grain deal by two months last week.
Video released by the Russian military shows the Ivan Khurs hitting a Ukrainian motorboat at close range and causing it to explode. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
According to Daily Sabah, the TurkStream gas pipeline is located under the Black Sea, carrying gas from Russia through Türkiye. The designed capacity of this pipeline is about 31.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The gas is supplied to Turkey and from there to European countries. The pipeline was officially put into operation in January 2020.
Meanwhile, the Blue Stream moves north-south, connecting to Samsun City, landing more than 700 km east of the Bosporus.
On May 24, the US government approved a $285 million sale of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to Ukraine. The sale will include a NASAMS system with AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar, fire control center (FDC), launcher, secure communications system, global positioning system (GPS) receiver, associated equipment, and a package of technical support from the contractor and the US government.
The sale will support US foreign policy objectives by “improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement. Raytheon Technologies is expected to be the prime contractor for the deal.
The US Congress received notification of the deal early on May 24 and began its review phase. However, the deal is unlikely to face much opposition from lawmakers given Russia’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine.
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