On February 17, seven unmanned air vehicles attacked the Kropotkinskaya pumping station in Russia, a crucial node in the 940 -thousand Caspian pipeline consortium which sends oil from Kazakhstan to the Port of the Black Sea of Novorossiysk.
The Russian part immediately said it was a “Terrorist” attack. The Ukrainian party recognized responsibility, claiming that the strike was directed against “strategic objects that support the armed assault of Russia”.
For almost three years now, Russia’s military assault on Ukrainian territory has sparked an extended circle of violence. In the context of the recent proposals of the United States and the European Union to find a path to peace, violence continues, against the colonies and the infrastructure.
The attack on the CPC does not do much to harm Russia. But it could finally represent a cost for transnational companies that exploit the largest oil fields in western Kazakhstan.
Most of the oil that CPC pumps west, in fact, is taken from the Tengiz oil field, which has been managed for more than three decades by American CHEVRON companies (50%), alongside Exxon ( 20%), Russian Lukarco (5%) and Kazakhstan public Kazmunaigas (25%).
At 1.5 million barrels per day, the CPC carries around 80% of total oil exports from Kazakhstan. By reaching the terminal of oil in Novorossiysk, the oil is loaded on oil tankers and makes its way to a number of European customers.
Now, with the damaged Kropotkinskaya pumping station, the pipeline flow will have to shrink about 30%, said Transneft, the Russian pipeline monopoly.
The day after the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on transnational companies to pay the restoration of the pumping station.
“If they are interested in restoring operations in this establishment, let them organize the delivery of the necessary equipment, despite all the sanctions. They should do it themselves, “Putin told local media.
These companies should spend a number of bureaucratic obstacles to invest in cash or send equipment to Russia, taking into account the ever-increasing sanctions regime than the United States has imposed, in particular on the country’s energy sector , to counter his war effort in Ukraine.
Due to sanctions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak forecast The fact that the pipeline is working on reduced capacity and repairs would take several months.
For years, the CPC has been considered an “international” pipeline, transcending territorial jurisdictions strictly and therefore still excluded from Western sanctions. The presence of transnational companies such as Chevron, Exxonmobil and Shell among its shareholders was considered as a guarantee against it being used as a tool of energy diplomacy.
Yet a survey published by the International consortium of investigative journalists In December 2024, revealed that the influence of Russia on the pipeline had increased exponentially since 2020. “Transneft … orchestrated a power socket for the control of the pipeline in 2020, actually put the rejection of Western influence on operations,” said the survey, adding that the CPC paid at least $ 816 million Dividends to Russian state societies since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Already in March 2022, only one month after the start of the war, bad weather Has prompted the CPC management to stop the oil load at the Novorossiysk Marine Terminal. The observers doubted that the hiccups only had with the weather. A few months later, the CPC was slapped with an administrative fine From a Russian court, which first ordered and then canceled a 30 -day operations suspension.
Despite attempts to find alternative routesMarginal volumes shipped Another pipeline passing Russiadream of a Transcaspian pipeand the establishment of a New marine outpostKazakhstan has not yet found A viable alternative solution to the CPC for its oil exports.
This means that Kazakhstan, which has taken a rather neutral diplomatic position on the war of Russia in Ukraine, is not immune to cross fires. Hitting oil exports from Kazakhstan means damaging your budget and affecting the results of several Western transnational companies.