Russia’s Ministry of Defense released a video showing the Black Sea Fleet reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs destroying high-speed boats that were trying to approach and attack the ship. The crew of the Ivan Khurs hit the Ukrainian boat at close range and blew it up. At the time, the Ivan Khurs was about 140 km northeast of the Bosphorus Strait.
In a statement published on Telegram, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said the ship Ivan Khurs had protected the TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines (which transport gas from Russia to Turkey, partly through the Black Sea) and “continues to fulfill its duties “.
Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking ships protecting the Black Sea gas pipeline. Photo: Ministry of Defense of Russia
According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, “The Ukrainian military failed in an attempt to use three unmanned suicide boats to attack the Black Sea Fleet ship Ivan Khurs, which was on patrol duty in protect the TurkStream gas and Blue Stream oil pipelines in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone”.
Mr. Konashenkov emphasized: “After the terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in September 2022, the Russian military took many measures to protect similar infrastructure. They worked.”
Daily Sabah (Türkiye) reported that Kiev did not comment on the above information.
The Russian side’s statement appears to heighten tensions in the Black Sea, as Russia only agreed to extend the Black Sea grain deal by two months last week.
The video released by the Russian military shows the ship Ivan Khurs hitting a Ukrainian speedboat at a very close distance and causing it to explode. Photo: Ministry of Defense of Russia
According to Daily Sabah, the TurkStream (Turkish Stream) pipeline is located under the Black Sea, transporting gas from Russia through Turkey. The design capacity of this gas pipeline is around 31.5 billion m3 of natural gas per year. Gas is supplied to Türkiye and from there to European countries. The pipeline was officially put into operation in January 2020.
Meanwhile, the Blue Stream route moves in a north-south direction, connecting to the city of Samsun, landing over 700 km east of the Bosphorus hinterland.
On May 24, the US government approved the sale of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) worth $285 million to Ukraine. The sales contract will include a NASAMS system with an AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar, a fire control center (FDC), a launch tube, a secure communications system and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. and US government and contractor technical support packages.
According to an announcement by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the sale will support US foreign policy objectives by “enhancing the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress.” in Europe”. Raytheon Technologies is expected to become the prime contractor for this deal.
Earlier, the US Congress received notification of the agreement on the morning of May 24 and began to consider it. However, this sale will not face many objections from lawmakers in the context of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Hue Binh
