Injured in “act of terrorism”
Moscow: Ukrainian saboteurs blow up ammonia pipeline
06/07/2023, 4:20 p.m
Several people are said to have been injured in the attack on an ammonia pipeline near Kharkiv. That’s what Moscow says. The pipeline is currently shut down but is expected to be operational again soon. This is also part of the negotiations to extend the grain agreement.
Russia accuses Ukraine of blowing up a key ammonia pipeline. A “Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group” “blew up” the currently unused Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, the Defense Ministry said in Moscow. It was an “act of terrorism” and several civilians were injured. By assigning blame, the ministry contradicts recent reports by the Ukrainian authorities that Russian forces repeatedly fired on the Kharkiv line.
According to Russian sources, the incident happened on Monday evening near a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, which Ukrainian troops had largely recaptured last fall. The ammonia pipeline measures around 2,500 kilometers in total. It connects the Russian city of Togliatti on the Volga with the port of the Ukrainian city of Odessa on the Black Sea. With the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, its operations were suspended.
Until then, Russia used the pipeline to export ammonia. With their help, more than 2.5 million tons of ammonia, which is an important component of fertilizers, were transported annually. Moscow is calling for the pipeline to resume operations. This is also part of negotiations to extend the grain deal between the two sides, which will allow millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to be exported. According to the Ministry of Defense, repairing the line will take one to three months.
