Drone attack forces oil terminal in Russia's Novorossiysk to halt all loading operations
Editor's note: The story was updated with additional details.
Naval drones struck the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's marine terminal in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk on Nov. 29, forcing the facility to suspend oil shipments, the company said.
The attack seriously damaged the mooring point two (SMP-2), prompting port authorities to halt all loading operations and order tankers out of the water area.
The company, an international venture involving Russian, Kazakh, and foreign energy companies, operates a major oil pipeline linking Kazakhstan's western fields with Novorossiysk's sea terminal.
The consortium is one of the region's most important export corridors.
Company officials said the damaged mooring system could no longer operate, leading the seaport's captain to suspend activities at the terminal.
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry issued a protest in response to the strike, calling it an attack "against an exclusively civilian facility."
"We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future," the ministry's spokesperson said in a press statement.
Novorossiysk has become a central base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet after repeated Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea, increasing its importance as both a military and logistical hub.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight.
The pipeline terminal has now been hit three times. A drone damaged the consortium's city office in September, and another strike hit the administrative building of the marine terminal on Nov. 25.
The latest attack adds pressure on Russia's ability to export oil, an economic lifeline that Kyiv has targeted with increasing frequency.
Ukraine has not commented on the strike. The Kyiv Independent has contacted Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) for comment.
