Sea drones reportedly halt operations at major Russian oil terminal
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A serviceman of Ukraine's SBU security service standing next to the latest version of the country's "Sea Baby" naval drone in October 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Russian oil terminal halted operations after a "terrorist attack" by sea drones, according to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), causing significant damage to Mooring Point 2.
- Moscow launched deadly drone and missile strikes on Kyiv, killing three and damaging buildings, while Ukraine claimed responsibility for attacks on two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea.
- Ukraine is heading to the US for talks to end the war; these talks coincide with internal pressures on Zelensky's government and ongoing advancements by Russian forces.
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MOSCOW - One of Russia’s largest oil terminals halted operations on Nov 29 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 near Novorossiysk, called the strike a “terrorist attack”.
Ukraine did not comment on the incident, although it 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 deadly storm of drones and missiles at Ukraine,
“As a result of a targeted terrorist attack by unmanned boats at 4.06am Moscow time, 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 1 per cent 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 Nov 29 that a team was on the way to the United States
Russia has been advancing on the front line for over a year, while Mr Zelensky’s government has faced pressure from a blockbuster corruption probe that on Nov 28 forced him to sack his powerful chief of staff.
‘I saw it burning’
AFP journalists in Kyiv reported a night of intense explosions that kept many in the capital awake.
In the morning, reporters saw burned out cars and apartment buildings charred from fire.
The strikes left more than 600,000 consumers nationwide without power, 500,000 of whom were in Kyiv, the energy ministry said.
Russia, which denies targeting civilians, says it struck energy infrastructure powering the Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.
Ukraine says Russia’s attacks are a cynical ploy to wear down its civilian population.
“The main targets of the attack were energy infrastructure and civilian facilities, with extensive damage and fires in residential buildings,” Mr Zelensky said on X.
“We currently have reports of dozens injured and three killed.”
Ms Galyna Bondarenko, a Ukrainian media worker, told AFP in Kyiv that the explosion sent debris flying into her home.
“There was a piece of debris next to the bed, which hit the bed and got stuck,” she said.
Another resident, 43-year-old Natalia Shkoda, said the attacks set her and husband’s cars on fire.
“We heard a very loud explosion... My husband said: ‘Maybe it hit our car.’ When I went outside, I saw it burning.”
Ukraine targets ‘shadow fleet’
A Ukrainian source, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea allegedly covertly transporting sanctioned Russian oil
The two ships, the Virat and the Kairos, were rocked by explosions off Turkey’s coast
“Modernised Sea Baby naval drones successfully targeted the vessels,” a source in Ukraine’s SBU security service told AFP.
The source shared a video that purported to show sea drones gliding towards the two ships, before sparking explosions.
Russia launched its full-scale offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv and its European allies say the war, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and illegal land grab that has resulted in a tidal wave of violence and destruction.
Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed since the war began, while millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes. AFP
