The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of orchestrating a plan to further destabilize global oil markets by carrying out drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Monday remarks, “We are in solidarity with the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in its decisive condemnation of this crime against a civilian facility.”
“We regard this attack as yet another confirmation of Bankova’s desire to further destabilize the situation on global oil markets,” the top diplomat emphasized, referencing the street houses the Office of the President of Ukraine.
“For it, ensuring global energy stability, as well as a respectful attitude toward foreign partners, in particular from Kazakhstan, with whom the Kiev regime allegedly wants to develop mutually beneficial and friendly relations, is an empty phrase,” she added.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, which is off Russia’s Black Sea cost, confirmed Sunday that it was forced to suspend oil loadings, after a pair of oil tankers came under attack here.
Specifically the Asia and Nissos IOS tankers were attacked, with the former having caught on fire as a result, which was subsequently extinguished by emergency crews.
“There were no injuries or fatalities amongst CPC staff or contractors. There was no oil spill,” CPC later clarified while confirming that the tankers remained afloat.
“At present, crude oil loading operations at the terminal have been suspended pending a full assessment of the consequences of the incident,” CPC also said, but stopped short of identifying what entity was behind the attack.
Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry was outraged. “Upon completion of this assessment, Kazakhstan reserves all rights available under international law to protect its legitimate interests, including seeking full compensation for the damage caused,” it said.
This isn’t the first time that sections of the key energy route have been targeted by Ukrainian drones. For example a key section of Caspian Pipeline Consortium near Novorossiysk was temporarily been taken offline in a November 2025 attack.
It is surprising that the attacks on Caspian Pipeline Consortium are continuing, and another red line has been crossed, because for the first time in history of naval combat, tankers were attacked at loading point
— Olzhas Baidildinov, ex-advisor to Energy Minister of Kazakhstan pic.twitter.com/K7OP3oSx7K
— RTBreaking (@RT_Breaking) July 20, 2026
The consortium’s over 930-mile pipeline connects oil fields in western Kazakhstan and Russian offshore fields in the Caspian Sea to a marine terminal in Novorossiysk, which means the location serves as the main export route for Kazakh oil, and is one of the world’s largest oil conduits by volume.