MOSCOW: One of Russia’s largest oil terminals halted operations on Saturday following an attack by sea drones, hours before Ukrainian negotiators were headed to the United States for talks on ending the war.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a group that includes US oil majors Chevron and ExxonMobil and which owns the terminal, called the strike a “terrorist attack”.
Ukraine, which did not comment on the incident, has sought to punch back against its neighbour as the war grinds through its fourth year.
The attack came as Moscow’s forces fired a storm of drones and missiles at Ukraine, killing three people and damaging buildings across Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.
“As a result of a targeted terrorist attack by unmanned boats at 4:06 am Moscow time (0106 GMT) single Mooring Point 2 (SMP-2) sustained significant damage,” the CPC said in a statement on Telegram.
“Further operation of SMP-2 is not possible. Loadings at the terminal will be carried out in accordance with established rules once the drone threats are lifted,” it added.
The CPC pipeline, which begins in Kazakhstan and ends at the terminal, is a major conduit for Kazakh oil and one of the world’s largest by volume, handling around one percent of global supplies.
The United States has put forward a plan to end the conflict that it is seeking to finalise with Moscow and Kyiv’s approval.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that a team was on the way to the United States to review the plan, but the talks come at a difficult moment for him and his administration.
Russia has been advancing on the front line for over a year, while Zelensky’s government has faced pressure from a blockbuster corruption probe that on Friday forced him to sack his powerful chief of staff.
