Berlin: According to an internal Defence Ministry paper cited by the German tabloid Bild on Sunday, an explosion that occurred earlier this month at a significant ammonia pipeline traversing Ukraine may have been a part of Kiev's sabotage tactics.
In Ukraine's Kharkov Region, which borders Russia, the June 5 explosion damaged a portion of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline.
The pipeline had been inactive since the start of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, when it had been used to transport Russian fertiliser to the Ukrainian port city of Odessa for later shipping around the world.
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As part of the Black Sea grain agreement, which was mediated by the UN and Turkey, Russia had repeatedly demanded that Kiev release the pipeline. Earlier in June, the Kremlin had issued a warning that the destruction of the conduit might jeopardise the future of the grain agreement.
Bild asserts that Ukrainian forces may have purposefully destroyed the pipeline in order to deprive Russia of its benefits.
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According to the tabloid, which obtained analysis from the German Defence Ministry, "Ukrainian involvement in the destruction of the pipeline" cannot be ruled out. According to Bild, the document marked "for official use only" stated that the pipeline passes through territory under the control of Ukraine and that its unblocking would primarily benefit Russia.
Berlin may blame Kiev for additional "acts of sabotage" in addition to the pipeline explosion, the German media reported. Another section of the document reportedly stated that "pro-Ukrainian... groups apparently disrupted railway traffic alongside a major route leading into the Ukrainian territory through sabotage acts."
The Zaporozhye Region is specifically mentioned in the paper as a target for Ukraine. Following a referendum, the area joined Russia in the autumn of 2022 along with three other former Ukrainian territories. According to the ministry's document, railway lines in Crimea have also been attacked, according to Bild. According to the German Defence Ministry, Ukrainian forces may be operating in areas under Russian control far from the front lines.
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The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that a Ukrainian sabotage group was responsible for the attack a day after the ammonia pipeline explosion. Kiev, however, claimed that Russian strikes had damaged the pipeline and that Moscow was to blame for the incident.
Following the incident, President Vladimir Zelensky stated that Kiev might be able to resume pipeline operations "if necessary." The Black Sea grain agreement is set to expire on July 17, and the Russian Foreign Ministry has insisted that the destruction of the pipeline will be taken into consideration during negotiations to extend it.