Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukrainian saboteurs have been apprehended in Slovakia while in possession maps outlining the country’s gas infrastructure. He cited Russian intelligence services and did not provide details. Slovakia has yet to confirm the arrest.

Speaking at his annual end-of-year press conference on Thursday, Putin said the Ukrainian saboteurs had engaged in terrorist activities within Russia and now they are doing it in European countries.

“They feed from Europe’s hand and try to carry out terrorist attacks there,” he said. “This is their choice, but ours is to focus on cooperation.” Russian intelligence would request information about the incident through established partner channels, Putin concluded.

It is possible that the Russian President was referring to a possible sabotage plot targeting the Russian Druzhba oil pipeline. The pipeline connects Russian and Kazakh oil suppliers to consumers in Europe, branching off into Belarus. The northern part reaches Poland and Germany, while the southern branch goes to Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

According to the Hungarian Magyar Nemzet newspaper, national security authorities in Hungary started investigating a possible sabotage plot in early December. Hungary’s Anti-Terrorism Center was alerted by authorities in neighboring Slovakia that “an organized group” was operating in both countries carrying out a “field survey” in the vicinity of the pipeline. The activities could indicate “possible preparations for a terrorist attack” against the countries’ critical infrastructure, wrote the paper.

Back then Slovakian Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said the country had expelled two men suspected of monitoring energy infrastructure targets including along a major pipeline carrying gas from Ukraine. The men were deported to Ukraine and Hungary, he added.

Earlier in May the Washington Post reported that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky suggested that Kiev “should just blow up the [Druzhba] pipeline.” citing leaked Pentagon documents. Bloomberg also reported that the EU was considering restrictions on Russian oil imports through the pipeline by Germany and Poland.

The transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which facilitates the flow of Russian gas to the EU, is set to expire at the end of this year. This has raised concerns among countries like Slovakia that rely on this route for their gas supplies.

Earlier Friday Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned of a potential gas crisis if Ukraine does not extend the transit agreement. He has also indicated that Slovakia may consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine if the gas transit is halted.

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