Gas blaze erupts at critical Sudzha station amidst tensions
An enormous fire broke out in the Kursk region on the night of March 19. According to local media reports, the Sudzha gas measurement station in Russia was damaged.
Local media reported a huge column of fire on the border of Russia's Kursk and Sumy regions. According to the RosZMI portal, the Sudzha gas transmission system was attacked, through which Russian gas was supplied to Europe.
The Russians claim that earlier the Sudzha air defence system was damaged as a result of a Ukrainian attack.
The Russian authorities have not yet provided any official information on the causes or effects of the enormous fire in the Kursk region.
Sudzha gas station: What is known?
The Sudzha gas station, located in Russia's Kursk region, is a key point for the transmission of natural gas to Europe. It is situated on the border with Ukraine and is one of the main entry points for Russian gas into the Ukrainian transit system.
For many years, Sudzha played a strategic role in the supply of raw materials to European countries, especially before the emergence of alternative transmission routes, such as Nord Stream. This station is managed by Gazprom and under normal conditions can transmit tens of billions of cubic metres of gas annually.
In the geopolitical context, Sudzha often appears in discussions regarding Europe's energy security. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the imposition of sanctions on Russia, the significance of this station decreased, and gas transit through Ukraine became a subject of political tensions.
In 2023, Sudzha was one of the few points through which Russian gas still reached Europe, but in much smaller quantities than before the conflict.
