Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up its own gas pipeline in order to pin the blame on Kyiv and undermine the proposed energy infrastructure ceasefire.

Footage posted on Telegram on Friday morning showed a huge fire and a large cloud of smoke above Sudzha, in Russia’s Kursk region.

The Sudzha pipeline had been a critical hub for Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine, delivering 42.4 million cubic meters daily in October.

The pipeline was so important that a transit agreement was enforced during the war to allow flows to continue to Europe.

However, Kyiv ended that agreement in January, effectively cutting decades of Moscow’s dominance over Europe’s energy markets.

Ukraine’s general staff denied Moscow’s claim that his forces struck the pipeline and instead said it had been “repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves”.

Moscow, in response, said it had opened a criminal investigation into the explosion and accused Ukraine of trying to undermine Donald Trump’s push for peace.