Ukraine has reportedly targeted an energy facility that is part-owned by US companies
An international oil consortium that includes US companies has condemned recent drone attacks attributed to Ukraine on vital energy infrastructure in Russia’s Krasnodar Region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a Ukrainian armed drone was shot down overnight near an oil pumping station managed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
CPC operates a major pipeline system carrying crude oil from the oil fields in Kazakhstan and Russia’s Caspian region to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and on to global markets. The project is jointly owned by several stakeholders from Russia, Kazakhstan, and overseas energy companies, such as US oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil.
“The actions of the Ukrainian authorities have a destructive impact on CPC’s financial results and, as a consequence, on all of its shareholders, including the Republic of Kazakhstan and companies from the United States,” the consortium said in a statement on Monday.
The latest attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station in Krasnodar Region reportedly took place in the early hours of Monday morning. Russian air defense systems intercepted a Ukrainian UAV several kilometers from the facility, according to the Defense Ministry.
The station was targeted by drones laden with explosives and metal shrapnel in mid-February, forcing the CPC to reduce its annual transportation forecast.
The subsequent destruction of another CPC-operated oil transfer station in Krasnodar Region last week led to an indefinite halt of operations, the CPC said. The consortium said it is currently working to restore the Kropotkinskaya station.
The CPC “strongly condemns” such actions, which “undermine the foundations of global energy security,” complicate production and transportation of oil, and also threaten personnel and the environment, the statement said.
The attacks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump approved a partial ceasefire, under which both Moscow and Kiev committed to refraining from strikes on energy infrastructure. The agreement aims to pave the way for a broader truce.
Moscow has accused Kiev of a “provocation,” while stressing that it will continue to uphold the moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Kiev has not issued an official statement about the attack.
