Ukraine accuses Russia of terrorist attempts on gas pipeline

Gas pipe at storage facility in the village of Mryn, Ukraine — Reuters

Ukraine’s government urges Europe to block the South Stream pipeline which would allow Russian gas to bypass Ukraine, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated in Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) Tuesday, June 3, reports Ukrainska Pravda.

“Before the presidential elections there were two terrorist attempts on Ukraine’s gas pipeline system in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast,” Yatsenyuk said.

“We were able to prevent casualties and disruption of the transit, but we are fully aware that these attempts had the goal of discrediting the Ukrainian gas transportation system, disrupting the transit and providing evidence for our Western partners that Ukraine is an unstable state. Most of all, they were designed to legitimize the South Stream (gas pipeline to transport Russian gas through the Black Sea — Ed.), he said.

Yatsenyuk said the Cabinet’s position is clear and unchanged. “We believe the South Stream project is designed to increase Europe’s energy dependence, to remove Ukraine from the common energy policy of the European Union, and to strengthen the position of Russia’s Gazprom in Europe. It has nothing to do with energy security.”

“We therefore urge the European Union to block the South Stream. Ukraine is a reliable transit provider. We have fulfilled and will continue to fulfill our obligations if Russia does not prevent us,” he said.

Source: http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/06/3/7027858/

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