A drone attack has disrupted operations at the Kropotkinskaya pumping station, a critical facility managed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), responsible for a major portion of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
The CPC has labelled the incident, which involved seven drones, as an act of terrorism.
The Kropotkinskaya station, located in the Kavkazsky district of Kuban, is the largest CPC pump station within Russian territory.
According to a statement released by the CPC, the strike has forced the station “out of service,” resulting in reduced flow rates through the Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline system.
While the CPC has not directly accused Ukraine of orchestrating the attack, an anonymous official from Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed responsibility, as reported by Reuters.
The official stated that the drones targeted both the pumping station and the nearby Ilsky oil refinery, claiming at least 20 explosions were heard in the area.
The official further alleged that these oil facilities were being used to support Russia’s military operations in the ongoing war against Ukraine.
This incident marks the first time Ukrainian drones have targeted energy infrastructure associated with Western oil companies like Chevron and Exxon — shareholders in the CPC.
Other shareholders include Shell, Italy’s Eni, and the Russian state.
The Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline stretches 1,511 kilometres and carries over two-thirds of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, along with crude from Russian oilfields, including those in the Caspian region.
Kazakhstan contributes approximately 1 per cent of the world’s oil supply via this key channel.
The attack occurred just a day before a scheduled meeting in Saudi Arabia between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the Ukraine war.
The disruption to the CPC pipeline adds further strain to the region’s energy landscape, following the halt of Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine in January 2025.
Ukraine President Zelenskyy has hailed the transit stoppage as “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats” and has urged increased US gas exports to Europe.
The long-term impact of the drone strike on global oil supplies remains to be seen.
