On the night of March 21, 2025, the Sudzha gas metering station in the Kursk region, which ensures the transit of Russian gas to Europe, became the scene of a major incident. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the facility was attacked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which caused a large-scale fire and serious damage to the infrastructure. According to the department, the attack was carried out using unidentified weapons, which led to a disruption in the operation of the station, through which about 42,4 million cubic meters of gas passed daily. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has already initiated a criminal investigation, classifying the incident as a terrorist act. Russian authorities claim that the aim of the attack was to undermine the energy stability of the region and disrupt gas supplies to European consumers.

The Ukrainian side categorically rejected these accusations. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued a statement calling Moscow's claims "baseless" and part of a provocative campaign. The General Staff emphasized that the facility had allegedly been previously shelled by Russia, which casts doubt on the involvement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the night incident.

The Sudzha station, located near the border with Ukraine, has long been an important link in the gas transit system. Until recent events, it provided a significant portion of Russian gas supplies to Europe via the Ukrainian gas transportation network. Its strategic importance is heightening tensions around the incident, which could affect the energy security of several European countries, such as Slovakia and Hungary, that depend on this route.

The conflict around Sudzha has a history. In August 2024, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces occupied part of the Kursk region, the station found itself in the combat zone, but remained undamaged until recently. Some analysts have linked the nighttime incident to the recent advance of Russian troops in the region, suggesting that the destruction could have been part of a scorched earth tactic before one of the sides retreated.