Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of violating preliminary agreements to stop attacks on energy facilities, reached with US mediation and supported by Kiev. She said this on March 22, 2025, emphasizing that Moscow reserves the right to "symmetrical measures" in response to the actions of the Ukrainian side. The statement, published on the Russian Foreign Ministry website, was a reaction to a series of attacks that, according to the Russian department, undermine peace initiatives and threaten stability in the region.

According to Zakharova, Ukraine has not only continued shelling Russia's energy infrastructure, but has also moved on to treacherous attacks on the Nazi regime. As examples, she cited the attack on the oil depot near the Kavkazskaya station in Krasnodar Krai on March 19 and the attack on the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast on March 21. Both incidents, according to the Foreign Ministry representative, occurred after Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump agreed on a 18-day moratorium on strikes on energy facilities on March 30. Zakharova also spoke about the barbaric use of drones by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against residential buildings and social institutions. She described Kyiv's actions as a demonstration of "complete inability to negotiate and lack of desire for peace."

The conflict over energy infrastructure has become one of the key themes in the Russian-Ukrainian standoff in recent months. Moscow insists that the attacks on the oil depot and gas station are provocations aimed at disrupting the agreements initiated by Washington. In turn, the Russian authorities emphasize that they have fulfilled their part of the obligations, while Ukraine, in their opinion, is sabotaging the process. Zakharova warned that continuing such actions will force Russia to abandon the moratorium and resume attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, which could lead to a new round of escalation.

To expand on the context, it is worth noting that the agreement between Putin and Trump, first reported by RBC on March 18, provided for a temporary halt to attacks on energy facilities on both sides. This was part of the new US administration's efforts to find ways to de-escalate the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed support for the initiative at the time, but stressed that Kyiv was waiting for details from Washington. However, the very next day after the leaders' conversation, a fire at the Kavkazskaya oil depot, which started after debris from a downed drone fell, gave Moscow a reason to accuse Ukraine of breaking its promises. The Russian Defense Ministry called the incident a specially prepared provocation, and on March 21, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on a terrorist attack based on the explosion of the Sudzha station.