MOSCOW, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Russia must step up counter-terrorism efforts amid threats to its Black Sea natural gas pipelines, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a meeting of the board of the Federal Security Service, Putin said Russia's enemies had failed to inflict a strategic defeat on the battlefield, and were banking on terrorist attacks targeting cities, infrastructure and government officials.
He noted that the enemies were making plans to carry out terrorist attacks against natural gas pipelines in the Black Sea, including TurkStream and Blue Stream, in an attempt to undermine diplomatic negotiations on the Ukraine crisis.
Putin said Russia must intensify counter-terrorism efforts, strengthen protection for energy and transport infrastructure as well as venues with large public gatherings, protect critical facilities, and install additional protective equipment if necessary.
TurkStream and Blue Stream are the main underwater gas pipelines that deliver Russian natural gas directly to Türkiye, bypassing transit routes through Ukraine. ■
