Kazakhstan’s primary oil export route, managed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), was disrupted due to a drone strike at the Kropotkinskaya pumping station.
Situated in the Kavkazsky district of Kuban, the station is the largest CPC pump station in Russian territory, CPC said.
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The attack, involving seven drones, has been labelled as an act of terrorism by the consortium.
While the CPC did not directly attribute the incident to Ukraine, an official from Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it targeted the pumping station and the nearby Ilsky oil refinery, reported Reuters.
The strike occurred a day before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine war talks.
The official, who requested anonymity, reported hearing at least 20 explosions in the area of the refinery.
He further claimed that the oil facilities were being utilised to support Russia’s military operations in the ongoing war against Ukraine.
In a statement, CPC said that, as a result of the strike, the Kropotkinskaya pumping station “has been taken out of service. Crude transportation through Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline system is being maintained at reduced flow rates.”
This incident marks the first instance of Ukrainian drones striking energy infrastructure associated with Western oil companies such as Chevron and Exxon.
The CPC pipeline is a key channel for global oil supply, with Kazakhstan contributing approximately 1% of the world’s oil.
The Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline spans 1,511km, carrying more than two-thirds of Kazakhstan’s oil exports along with crude from Russian oilfields, including those in the Caspian region.
Other shareholders in the CPC include Shell, Italy’s Eni and the Russian state.
In January 2025, Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine came to a halt, marking a major shift in the region’s energy landscape.
Ukraine President Zelenskiy called the transit stoppage “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats” and urged increased US gas exports to Europe.
