Russia struck a Ukrainian gas metering station near Romania – Zelenskyy (Update)

Russia likely carried out an attack on the Orlivka station of the Ukrainian Gas Transmission System (GTS) in the Odesa region on the border with Romania during the night of August 5 to 6, according to several Telegram channels. In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported an attack on a gas station in Novosilske, located near the village of Orlivka.

Update: The Ministry of Energy and Naftogaz of Ukraine have officially confirmed the Russian attack on the gas compressor station of GTS Operator of Ukraine in the Odesa region, which facilitates gas transportation via the Trans-Balkan route.

"Hundreds of families were left without gas. And this was a deliberate strike on our preparations for the heating season - absolutely cynical, like every Russian attack on the energy sector," Zelenskyy stated.

ExPro continues to monitor the gas supply volumes through the station and the impact of the attack on natural gas imports via the Trans-Balkan route from Romania to Ukraine.

The Orlivka-Isaccea station currently facilitates the transportation of natural gas along the joint Trans-Balkan pipeline route - from Greece to Ukraine. Imports via this route in August amount to around 0.4 mcm per day.

At the end of July, Azerbaijani gas was imported for the first time via the Orlivka entry point. However, according to ExPro, imports of Azerbaijani gas stopped at the beginning of August. The share of the Trans-Balkan route (gas enters through the Orlivka GMS) in Ukraine's total gas imports remains insignificant - less than 1% in July 2025.

In previous years, the Orlivka GMS primarily transported Russian natural gas through Ukraine to Romania. However, after the transit ended in early 2025, the station now operates exclusively in reverse mode to import gas into Ukraine.