Major gas pipeline goes offline in Russia's Volgograd region
Illustrative photo: Major gas pipeline goes offline in Russia’s Volgograd region (Getty Images)
On December 19, a mysterious ground subsidence occurred in Russia’s Volgograd region, disabling the Central Asia–Center trunk gas pipeline, according to RBC-Ukraine's sources.
According to the sources, under the version traditionally used in Russia, the multi-kilometer Soviet-era pipeline — which for years transported gas from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan — allegedly could not withstand the force of gravity. The incident reportedly occurred near the village of Romanivka in the Olkhovsky district of the Volgograd region.
The real cause of the sudden geological incident can be seen in exclusive photos.
Photos from sources
Photos from sources
Photos from sources
Photos from sources
Photos from sources
Despite the “minor” nature of the incident, within hours a large number of emergency and special-purpose vehicles were deployed to the site. Most likely, to document yet another unique natural phenomenon — soil that, for some reason, selectively collapses beneath strategic gas infrastructure, the sources said.
The Central Asia–Center gas pipeline is a key element of the system through which Russia for years imported up to 12 billion cubic meters of gas annually.
After 2022, despite loud statements about “energy independence,” Moscow used this pipeline in reverse-flow schemes and even purchased gas from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to cover local shortages.
Gas transportation along this route has now been suspended for an indefinite period.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) reports that geological processes on Russian territory tend to continue developing — especially near facilities that finance the war against Ukraine. Every war crime against the Ukrainian people will be met with just retribution.
Incidents involving pipelines in Russia
As a reminder, in August, sources told RBC-Ukraine that the Central Asia–Center trunk gas pipeline in Russia’s Volgograd region went offline following explosions near the village of Dynamivske.
In addition, on September 9, a series of explosions in the city of Penza disabled a major oil pipeline and a regional gas pipeline.
