Russia and Ukraine Say Ammonia Pipeline Was Damaged, in Potential Blow to Grain Deal

Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Russia and Ukraine Say Ammonia Pipeline Was Damaged, in Potential Blow to Grain Deal

Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A pipeline used to transport ammonia fertilizer from Russia via Ukraine which may be central to the future of the Black Sea grain deal has been damaged, according to both Kyiv and Moscow, potentially complicating talks around the accord.

Russia's defense ministry said a "Ukrainian sabotage group" had blown up a section of the pipeline on Monday night near the village of Masyutivka in Kharkiv region. The village is on the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

"As a result of this terrorist act, there were civilian casualties. They have been provided with necessary medical assistance," the Russian ministry said in a statement.

"At present ammonia residues are being blown out of the damaged sections of the pipeline from Ukrainian territory. There are no casualties among Russian servicemen."

Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of Ukraine's Kharkiv region gave a different version of events. He said in a statement posted on Telegram that Russian troops had shelled the pipeline.

Six Russian shells had landed near a pumping station near Masyutivka at around 5.45 pm (1445 GMT) on Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after Moscow alleged Ukraine had blown up the same pipeline, he said.

Reuters could not independently verify the Russian and Ukrainian assertions.

Resumption of supplies via the Tolyatti-Odesa pipeline, the world's longest ammonia pipeline, may be key to the renewal of the Black Sea grain export deal. The pipeline has been closed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in what it called a "special military operation".

Russia has repeatedly cast doubt on whether it will continue to renew the grain deal, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, which facilitates agricultural exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea.

Among the conditions for renewal that Moscow has put forward is resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline.

Moscow has said it will limit the number of ships allowed to travel to Ukraine's Pivdennyi port near Odesa under the deal until the pipeline is restarted.

In a briefing on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it would take between one and three months to repair the damaged section of the pipeline.

"The ammonia pipeline was one of the linchpins of the implementation of the agreements made in Istanbul on July 22. The (pipeline) was key to global food security," Zakharova said.



EU Ministers Adopt Iran Sanctions Over Citizen Detentions 

Iranians drive next to an anti-US mural in a street, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
Iranians drive next to an anti-US mural in a street, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
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EU Ministers Adopt Iran Sanctions Over Citizen Detentions 

Iranians drive next to an anti-US mural in a street, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
Iranians drive next to an anti-US mural in a street, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2025. (EPA)

European Union foreign ministers on Monday adopted sanctions against seven Iranian individuals and two organizations over the detention of EU citizens, which the bloc calls a policy of state-sponsored hostage-taking, diplomats said. 

A list of those sanctioned, seen by Reuters, included the director of Tehran's Evin prison and several judges and other judicial officials. The main prison in the city of Shiraz was among the organizations sanctioned. 

EU sanctions consist of a freeze on any assets held in the European Union and a ban on any travel into the bloc. 

In recent years, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Among them are at least 20 European citizens, diplomats say. 

Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from countries through such arrests, allegations denied by Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality. 

France, which has two of its nationals detained in what it has described as conditions akin to torture, has led efforts to add pressure on Iran over the issue. 

"I am happy that we can take these sanctions today against seven people and two entities, including the Shiraz prison," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on his arrival at an EU meeting in Luxembourg. 

"It's about time, because the conditions in which some of our compatriots - French and European - are being held are unworthy," he added. 

As part of efforts to raise pressure on Iran, France is preparing a complaint at the International Court of Justice against Iran for violating the right to consular protection.