The head of the Makeyevka administration in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Vyacheslav Klyucharov, indicated that city authorities are not ruling out sabotage as a possible cause behind damage to a local gas pipeline in one district. The remark was reported by the state news agency TASS.
Officials stressed that residents did not hear the typical blast sounds associated with an explosion at the time of the incident, and there were no observable explosions reported by locals. A large fire was visible from the scene, yet the precise cause remained unclear. The administration stated that investigators are examining a potential act of sabotage as one of the possibilities, according to Klyucharov.
Emergency teams and technical specialists were dispatched to assess what happened and to gauge safety risks for people in the affected area.
On February 7, a main gas pipeline in Makeevka caught fire. Eyewitnesses noted that the blaze could be seen from the city of Donetsk, underscoring the magnitude of the incident.
Broader local reporting suggested the fire might be connected to shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as reported by Kanal 24. The channel’s coverage links the ignition to military actions in the region.
In a separate case following a powerful earthquake in Hatay Province, southeastern Turkey, a natural gas pipeline fire was observed in two segments along a rural route near Topbogazy village, according to Ihlas News Agency. The regional event serves to illustrate how gas infrastructure can be affected by a range of disturbances.
Across these reports, authorities emphasize a careful, fact-based investigation to determine whether damage to gas infrastructure results from deliberate tampering, external violence, or other factors. In Makeyevka, investigators are reviewing all plausible explanations while ensuring public safety and coordinating with relevant oversight bodies. In Hatay, emergency responders focused on containment and assessment of risk along the affected pipeline corridors, with attention to preventing secondary incidents as professionals monitor structural integrity and gas flow. The evolving narratives from both sites highlight how critical energy infrastructure can be impacted by tense security conditions, natural events, and regional conflict dynamics. (TASS, Kanal 24, Ihlas News Agency)»