(MENAFN) Kazakhstan has sharply criticized Ukraine for a recent attack on facilities belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), calling it “yet another deliberate attack” on vital energy infrastructure.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry stressed that the Novorossiysk-area terminal on the Black Sea is “an exclusively civilian facility whose operation is safeguarded by norms of international law,” accusing Kiev of deliberately targeting it.

The strike, carried out on Saturday and reportedly executed using Ukrainian drones, destroyed one of the terminal’s berthing points beyond repair and forced an immediate suspension of loading activities. Following the incident, Kazakh authorities announced that they would begin diverting crude exports through other available routes.

While Ukraine has not publicly acknowledged responsibility, its security services have previously admitted to similar operations against energy infrastructure in Russia earlier in the year.

In recent months, Kiev has expanded its campaign against Russian energy assets, directing attacks at refineries, pipelines, and export terminals in hopes of constraining Moscow’s oil revenues.

Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov emphasized that the CPC system plays a crucial role in ensuring stability in international energy markets, warning that the latest strike could negatively affect relations between Astana and Kiev.

This incident is now the third recorded attack against CPC infrastructure used for shipping Kazakh crude. A previous assault in February 2025 involved seven drones hitting the Kropotkinskaya pumping station, triggering operational delays.

The CPC network transports oil from Kazakhstan’s Tengiz field through southern Russia to a coastal terminal near Novorossiysk, where shipments are loaded for customers across Europe and Asia.

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