Blame Game Escalates: Russia and Ukraine Each Accuse The Other in Kursk Gas Station Attack

On Friday, both Russia and Ukraine accused one another of shelling a gas pumping facility in the southwestern Kursk region during the night, just days after both sides had agreed to pause hostilities affecting energy infrastructure.

Prior to this, Ukrainian military sources and pro-war Russian bloggers reported a strike on the now-inoperative Sudzha gas pumping and metering station, with images depicting a massive blaze illuminating the night sky.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces rejected claims from Russian military bloggers that Ukraine was behind the attack, asserting that it was part of a “discrediting campaign against Ukraine.”

“The enemy has intensified its planned destructive information warfare with yet another provocation — artillery fire directed at this facility in Sudzha,” the General Staff stated.

“They [the Russians] have shelled the Sudzha station multiple times themselves,” they added, referring to similar occurrences from the previous summer.

Later on Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry asserted that retreating Ukrainian forces had targeted the Sudzha gas pumping station, labeling it a “deliberate provocation… intended to undermine the peace efforts of the U.S. President.”

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has continued to send natural gas to Europe through the Sudzha hub, until Kyiv chose not to extend a transit agreement at the beginning of 2025.

Sudzha, which has a population of approximately 5,000, was the largest Russian locality captured by Ukrainian troops during a surprise cross-border operation last August. Russia claimed to have regained complete control of Sudzha just last week.

The reported attack on the Sudzha station occurred after Russia and Ukraine had tentatively agreed to a 30-day cessation of assaults on energy infrastructure, raising questions about how this agreement will be enforced.

On Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused Kyiv of breaching the ceasefire by attacking an oil depot in the southern Krasnodar area.

Following the attack on Friday, the Kremlin hinted that this incident could jeopardize the ceasefire agreement.

“This situation clearly indicates how much trust one can place in the words of Zelensky and his team,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov to reporters.

Nonetheless, he confirmed that the Russian military would adhere to the 30-day order to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as mandated by President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week.

“The directive from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief remains in effect, and the Russian Armed Forces are currently refraining from strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in line with the agreement reached between the United States and Russia.”

Subsequently, Russian law enforcement announced they had launched a criminal investigation into the attack on the gas pumping station, categorizing it as an act of terrorism.