Russia claims Ukraine may be behind TurkStream attacks as Serbia finds explosives near pipeline

Russia on Monday claimed that Ukraine may be involved in the attack on the TurkStream gas pipeline.

Commenting at a press briefing in Moscow on reports by Serbian authorities saying explosives were found near TurkStream on their territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there is no concrete evidence of who might be behind the attempted attacks, but traces of interference by the Kyiv regime can be presumed.

He added: "Previously, as we know, the Kyiv regime was directly involved in such acts of sabotage against critical energy infrastructure. With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that this time, too, some traces of interference by the Kyiv regime will be discovered."

He said that Moscow hopes that during his visit to Türkiye, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was told that aggressive actions against the infrastructure of the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines are unacceptable.

Ukraine on Sunday “categorically” rejected attempts to “falsely link” Kyiv to explosives found near the Serbia-Hungary TurkStream gas pipeline.

Ukraine “has nothing to do with this,” stressed Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.

“Most probably, (it was) a Russian false-flag operation as part of Moscow’s heavy interference in Hungarian elections,” he wrote on the US social media platform X, referring to Hungary’s general elections set for next Sunday, April 12.

Russia is taking measures to ensure the security of the TurkStream and Blue Stream infrastructure, he said. "We hope that Hungary and Serbia, too, will take measures to minimize the threat to these gas pipelines," Peskov noted.

Asked about a statement by the head of Ukraine's presidential office Kyrylo Budanov regarding the upcoming visit of US envoys to Ukraine after April 12, Peskov said he has "no concrete knowledge" about it.

"We have heard statements from representatives of the Kyiv regime that such an issue might be on the agenda -- meaning the arrival of (Steve) Witkoff and (Jared) Kushner," he added.

Currently, negotiations on Ukraine are on pause, and it is difficult to convene in a trilateral format because the US has many other matters to attend to, Peskov remarked.

Russia and Ukraine continue to contact the US through their respective channels and exchange information.

"The Ukrainians continue their discussions with the Americans, and we, through the channels we have, continue to exchange views with the Americans," he said.

Turning to the situation in the Middle East, Peskov said the aggression against Iran has led to continued escalation of tensions, adding that the entire region is now "on fire."

"We note that the level of tension in the region is growing, and continues to grow. Effectively, the entire region is on fire. These are all very dangerous negative consequences of the aggression that was unleashed against Iran. The geography of this conflict has expanded, and we are now all witnessing the consequences we have," he said.