Kazakhstan has issued a strong warning to Ukraine after a major drone strike on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk halted oil exports and inflicted significant damage on critical loading infrastructure.
The CPC terminal, which handles more than 1% of global oil supply, stopped operations after a Ukrainian naval drone severely damaged one of its single-point moorings (SPM-2). The consortium includes major Russian, Kazakh, and US shareholders such as KazMunayGas, Chevron, Lukoil and ExxonMobil, and transports about 80% of Kazakhstan’s total oil exports.
In a statement on Sunday, Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry condemned the strike, calling it the third series of attacks on what it described as “an exclusively civilian facility protected under international law.”
Kazakhstan said it “expresses its protest over yet another deliberate attack on the critical infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium,” adding that the incident harms bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The ministry urged Kyiv to take effective steps to prevent further strikes.
Ukraine defended its actions, insisting its operations target only the Russian war machine and are not aimed at Kazakhstan or other third parties. “Ukraine hits back at the aggressor,” the foreign ministry said, framing the attacks as part of its defensive campaign against “full-scale Russian aggression.”
The damaged SPM-2 buoy, which connects tankers for offshore oil loading, can no longer operate, CPC confirmed. All loading activities were suspended and tankers withdrawn from the area following the November 29 drone attack.
Ukraine has launched repeated strikes on Russian refineries, ports and export terminals throughout the year in an effort to disrupt one of Russia’s most important revenue streams for financing its war effort. Ukrainian officials argue such attacks are justified as Russia continues what they call an “imperial-style war” and escalates assaults on Ukraine’s energy sector ahead of winter.
Russia, however, has labelled the attacks “acts of terrorism,” accusing Western nations of assisting Kyiv in a broader hybrid war. Moscow also warned that continued strikes threaten security and freedom of navigation across the Black Sea region.
The CPC pipeline system spans 1,500 kilometres, transporting crude from Kazakhstan’s Tengiz, Karachaganak and Kashagan fields to the Black Sea for global export. Last year, Kazakhstan exported 68.6 million tonnes of oil, most of it via CPC.
With one of the pipeline’s key moorings now disabled, concerns are rising over potential supply disruptions, geopolitical tensions involving multiple countries, and the stability of vital global energy corridors.
Erizia Rubyjeana
About the Author
