The Russian Ministry of Defense accuses Ukrainians of sabotaging the pipeline carrying ammonia from Russia to the Ukrainian port of Odessa, causing injury to the public and the release of ammonia into the environment. Images posted online show a cloud of ammonia covering the village of Masyutovka.
The alleged sabotage of the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline would have taken place on the evening of 5 June. Constructed in the 1970s, the pipeline carried 2.5 million tons of ammonia annually, used in agricultural fertilizer production. However, on February 24, 2022, when the invasion of Ukraine began, the transition was suspended. The reopening of the pipeline to allow Russia’s exports to continue is one of the conditions Moscow has set to renew the agreement on exports of Ukrainian wheat, currently renewed until July 17.
Repair of the pipeline will take from one to three months, but provided that Russian technicians are allowed to enter the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, where the sabotage allegedly took place, according to Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
