Kazakhstan issued a formal protest after what it described as “another deliberate attack” on a civilian oil terminal in the Black Sea. Officials expect Ukraine to take “effective measures” to prevent similar incidents, according to a Foreign Ministry statement released on Sunday. Spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said the incident occurred on Saturday and targeted infrastructure belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. He said the attack struck facilities located in the waters of the Port of Novorossiysk in southern Russia.
Smadiyarov stressed that the strike marked the third attack on CPC infrastructure. He described the terminal as an exclusively civilian facility operating under protections granted by international law. He also said Kazakhstan supports the uninterrupted supply of energy resources and believes the CPC remains crucial for global energy stability. He added that the incident harms bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Ukraine and urged Kyiv to prevent similar actions.
CPC confirms damage caused by unmanned boats
On Saturday, the CPC reported that unmanned boats damaged one of its single point moorings during a morning attack. The consortium suspended loading and related operations after local Russian authorities issued an order to halt activity. The statement said there were no casualties and no initial oil spill detected in the Black Sea. The group reported that safety protocols were activated immediately.
Later on Saturday, Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry condemned the attack and labelled actions targeting civilian energy infrastructure as unacceptable. Officials did not assign responsibility for the incident. However, Russian state media, including the RIA agency, reported that the terminal suffered damage from a Ukrainian strike. Russia has not issued an official comment on the incident.
Ukraine silent as investigation continues
Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the claims or responded to Kazakhstan’s concerns. Reports suggest that both states await additional information before releasing further statements. The CPC pipeline network spans 1,500 kilometres and transports oil from the Tengiz field in western Kazakhstan to the marine terminal in Novorossiysk. The route remains one of the region’s most important export corridors.
