On the night of August 6, the Russian troops struck a compressor station in Odessa, through which Azerbaijani gas is pumped to Ukraine and Europe. Russian drones attacked the gas compressor station in Orlivka, located in the Odessa region, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported.
According to the ministry, “dozens of drones” were employed in the Russian attack. The Ministry of Energy declared that the strike targeted relations with Azerbaijan, the United States, and European partners.
The ministry stated that it was a strike “exclusively against civilian infrastructure, deliberately targeting the energy sector and, at the same time, relations with Azerbaijan, the United States, and partners in Europe.”
It also reported that the station is located on the route of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline connecting Greek terminals with Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities. Liquefied gas from the US and, on a trial basis, Azerbaijani gas are supplied via this line.
Russian nationalist Z-bloggers reacted to the strike, rejoicing at the blow to “Azerbaijan’s interests,” the Agency noted. Popular pro-war Russian blogger Yuri Podolyaka called the strike “a great gift to ‘friend’ Ilham Aliyev.”
“If our “Gerans” had destroyed all of Azerbaijan’s infrastructure for receiving Azerbaijani oil products (which Ukrainian tanks and military vehicles run on) in Odessa and the surrounding area, that would have been great. It would have been a big help to our soldiers and a big “gift” to our friend ’Ilham Aliyev,” he wrote.
Russian propaganda media outlets Moskovsky Komsomolets and the Tsargrad TV channel quoted his opinion. Channel One presenter Ruslan Ostashko also described the events as a blow to “Azerbaijan’s demonstrative game in the interests of the West.”
At the end of July, Ukraine announced the signing of the first contract for the transit of Azerbaijani gas to Europe. Supplies are currently in test mode.
The crisis in relations between Russia and Azerbaijan began after the Embraer E-190 plane crash near Aktau on December 25, 2024. The AZAL plane in Aktau was most likely shot down by Russian air defense forces. According to Azerbaijani government sources, a Russian anti-aircraft missile struck the airliner during drone activity over Grozny.
On June 27, during a raid by Russian security forces in Yekaterinburg related to the investigation of an old crime, which targeted an Azerbaijani community, two brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, were killed.
Later, Baku had provided Moscow with evidence of the death of two of its citizens from torture, after which the conflict flared up with renewed vigor. Azerbaijani security forces raided the editorial office of the Russian Sputnik Azerbaijan and detained several employees of the propaganda media. Soon after, Azerbaijan detained and beat eleven Russians, accusing them of forming an organized crime group and trafficking drugs.
