Ukraine massive drone attack damages Russian refining hub

Ukraine's massive drone strike on the city of Nizhnekamsk in Russia’s Tatarstan region yesterday damaged oil refineries and claimed the lives of at least 13 people.

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Russian oil company Tatneft’s Taneco refinery was hit in the attack, Reuters reported, citing sources. The city of Nizhnekamsk is home to a vital Russian industrial hub, including refineries and a major petrochemical complex.

The region has sustained one of the most devastating strikes against Russia's energy grid in the four and a half years since the conflict began, Nizhnekamsk’s mayor Radmir Belyayev said on social media platform Telegram.

The attack comes as Kyiv maintains a persistent drone campaign against Russia’s fuel processing facilities and supply chains, aimed at limiting oil revenues flowing to its war chest.

Earlier this month, Ukraine hit Lukoil’s Volgograd processing facility – one of Russia’s biggest refineries, with a capacity to process 15 million mt/year (about 300,000 b/d) of crude oil.

These attacks mark a return of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, following Kyiv’s recent shift toward targeting Russia-linked tankers in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

Kazakhstan explores new export corridors amid Black Sea attacks

Kazakhstan is exploring alternative export channels amid persistent security risks surrounding shipments through Russia's Novorossiysk terminal on the Black Sea, local media reported, citing Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy is seeking to divert a portion of its oil shipments through a pipeline network spanning Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, according to the reports.

The move comes following severe disruptions to its petroleum shipments caused by recent Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure.

“Transportation through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan system, shipments across the Caspian Sea through the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as the Baku-Supsa route are being considered,” local reports quoted the ministry as saying.

Ukrainian drone strikes have forced suspension of shipments, laying bare Kazakhstan’s heavy reliance on a Russian export terminal for the bulk of its oil trade.

Last month, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) suspended operations after sustaining multiple attacks. Kyiv has spent months striking Russian energy facilities, repeatedly bringing CPC into the crosshairs.

Accounting for about 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, the CPC operates a 1,510 km oil pipeline connecting Kazakhstan's Caspian Sea oil deposits with Russia's ⁠Black Sea ​port of Novorossiysk. Oil loaded at ​Novorossiysk is then taken by tanker to world markets.

It transports oil from three major oilfields Kazakhstan – Tengiz, Kashagan, and Karachaganak. Its pipeline handles about 2% of daily global crude supply, according to Reuters.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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