Threat to the Turkish Stream Pipeline: Serbia Reports Discovery of Explosives
Serbia's Military Security Agency Director, Djuro Jovanovic, has raised alarms about a potential threat to the Turkish Stream pipeline, revealing that authorities had received warnings for months but initially met them with skepticism.
In a troubling announcement, Djuro Jovanovic, the Director of Serbia's Military Security Agency, disclosed that the country has been receiving warnings regarding a potential threat to the Turkish Stream pipeline for several months. Despite these alerts, he noted that the authorities had approached the situation with a degree of skepticism. This information was reported by the Serbian news portal RTS on Sunday, April 5.
“For several months, we have been warning the Supreme Commander, President Aleksandar Vucic, as well as the state leadership, that what we are witnessing today could happen. Frankly, we encountered skepticism, disapproval, and disagreement. This was also the case when we had to present relevant indicators that the gas infrastructure could be under threat,” Jovanovic stated.
He emphasized that the country's leadership was reluctant to respond to these warnings, citing that it would be “extremely costly” and would require significant effort from military personnel. According to Jovanovic, the successful operation to detect the explosives was made possible through effective on-site work and efficient information sharing with other agencies.
Jovanovic revealed that the agency received intelligence suggesting that an individual from a group of migrants was planning a sabotage operation against the gas infrastructure. He categorically dismissed any information regarding Ukraine's possible involvement in the incident.
“The markings on the explosives indicate that they were manufactured in the USA,” he added, underscoring that this could suggest external interference.
On April 5, President Aleksandar Vucic announced that explosive devices had been discovered in the municipality of Kanizha, near a gas infrastructure facility connecting Serbia with Hungary. He reported that two large packages of explosives with detonators were found.
Vucic also informed that the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had been notified about the incident. “There are certain traces that I cannot discuss. It is a large area, with a big lake, so the search took a long time, and helicopter units provided significant assistance. But it is clear that the world, or rather geopolitical games, will not leave us in peace, and that is why we must demonstrate the highest level of combat readiness,” Vucic emphasized.
In response, Orban noted that he convened an emergency defense council meeting regarding the situation. On the same day, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tikhiy stressed that Ukraine has no connection to the explosives found near the Turkish Stream pipeline in Serbia.
Tikhiy also suggested that Russia might be involved in the incident, believing that it was likely a Russian operation under a false flag, carried out as part of Moscow's interference in the elections in Hungary.
In March, The Washington Post reported that Russian intelligence had planned to stage an assassination attempt on the Hungarian Prime Minister to increase his chances of winning the parliamentary elections and to maintain Moscow's influence in Hungary.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, stated that this information is “disinformation,” emphasizing that the Russian side has no connection to the events in Serbia.
This incident has sparked significant resonance in international circles, as it highlights the tensions in relations between countries and the potential threats to the region's energy security.