Ukrainian drones hit major international oil pipeline in Russia in latest energy infrastructure attack
Krasnodar Territory, Russia - Ukrainian drones struck a key pumping station at a major international pipeline in southern Russia disrupting supplies from Kazakhstan, the operator said Monday.
Kyiv has targeted Russia's energy infrastructure throughout the three-year conflict, seeking to hit sites its says supply fuel to Moscow's army or helps provide funds to support its offensive.
In the latest attack overnight, seven explosive-packed drones hit a pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium which carries Kazakh oil across southern Russia for export via the Black Sea, including to western Europe.
"Oil transportation through the Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline system is carried out at reduced pumping modes," it said on social media.
The 930-mile pipeline is owned by a consortium in which the Russian and Kazakh governments as well as Western energy majors Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell hold stakes.
In 2024, the pipeline loaded more than 63 million tons of oil onto tankers at a terminal at the southern Russian port of Novorossiysk, the company said.
The company said the attack hit the Kropotkinskaya pumping station – the pipeline's largest in Russia's southern Krasnodar region.
Nobody was wounded and staff prevented the attack causing an oil spill, the company added.
Russia and Ukraine launch massive drone attacks
Both Moscow and Kyiv launched massive drone attacks in an overnight wave, days after US President Donald Trump called the leaders of both countries to press for a ceasefire.
Ukraine's air force said it downed 83 out of 147 drones that Russia launched overnight, adding another 59 were "lost" without causing damage.
Russia's defense ministry said it had "intercepted and destroyed" 90 Ukrainian drones, including 24 over the southern region of Krasnodar, where the Caspian Pipeline Consortium runs.
Ukraine's grid operator Ukrenergo announced emergency outages in some regions of Ukraine "due to the consequences of Russian attacks on energy facilities."
Cover photo: IMAGO / ITAR-TASS