Russian President Vladimir Putin called a drone attack on the Russian-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean a "terrorist attack," Russian state media RIA Novosti reported on March 4. Putin also said Russia could consider halting gas supplies to Europe immediately instead of waiting for EU restrictions scheduled to take effect in April 2026.

The Arctic Metagaz was under U.S. sanctions and linked to Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, whose cargoes have increasingly flowed to Asia amid Western restrictions. The reported attack occurred near Malta's territorial waters on March 3, after Russia alleged the unmanned boats were launched from Libya, suggesting a widening geographic scope of energy-related incidents tied to the Russia-Ukraine war.