Station Supplying Gas to Europe Destroyed in Ukraine Missile Attack

A missile attack on the Sudzha gas measuring station (GIS) in Russia's Kursk region has caused a massive fire and disrupted gas supplies to several European countries, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry, the attack occurred on March 28 at around 10:20 a.m. when Ukrainian forces fired HIMARS multiple launch rockets at the facility. The resulting explosion and fire destroyed the energy infrastructure, which had previously transported over 40 million cubic meters of gas per day to European consumers.

The attack comes despite an agreement between Russia and the U.S. that prohibits Ukraine and Russia from striking each other’s energy facilities for 30 days starting March 28.

The Russian Defense Ministry released video footage showing the fire engulfing the Sudzha station. The ministry also claimed that Ukraine had been using the facility as a logistics hub since gaining control of it on August 7, 2024. On March 21, Russian officials had already accused Ukrainian forces of deliberately sabotaging the gas station while retreating from the Kursk region.

Moscow dismissed statements from Kyiv about ceasing attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, calling them a strategic deception. The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of using such assurances to secure further European military aid.

 "All publicly stated commitments by the Kyiv regime to allegedly cease deliberate attacks on Russian civilian energy infrastructure are yet another ploy by Zelensky to prevent the collapse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' front and restore its military potential with the help of European ‘allies,’" the statement released on Friday said.