(MENAFN) Kazakhstan's diplomatic corps has issued a sharp rebuke following a Ukrainian assault on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) infrastructure, characterizing the operation as "yet another deliberate attack" on vital energy assets.

The facility near Novorossiysk, a Russian Black Sea port, operates as "an exclusively civilian facility whose operation is safeguarded by norms of international law," according to a Sunday statement from Astana's foreign affairs department, which placed blame squarely on Kiev.

Saturday's drone-led offensive inflicted irreparable damage to a terminal berth, triggering an abrupt shutdown of all cargo operations. Kazakhstan's administration responded by announcing emergency plans to redirect petroleum exports through backup routes.

Kiev has declined to formally acknowledge involvement in the operation, though intelligence operatives from Ukraine have previously admitted to conducting comparable attacks against Russian pipeline networks during 2025.

Recent weeks have witnessed an escalation in Ukrainian operations targeting Russian energy installations—refineries, transport networks, and export terminals—designed to cripple Moscow's crude oil sales capabilities.

Aibek Smadiyarov, spokesman for Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry, emphasized the CPC's critical role in maintaining worldwide energy equilibrium and warned the incident has inflicted serious harm on diplomatic relations between Astana and Kiev.

This assault represents the third offensive against CPC systems used for Kazakh petroleum exports. In February 2025, a seven-drone bombardment struck the CPC's Kropotkinskaya pumping station, resulting in operational disruptions.

The CPC conduit originates at Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field, traversing southern Russia before reaching the Novorossiysk marine terminal on the Black Sea, where petroleum is transferred to tankers bound for European and Asian markets.

The consortium—whose international stakeholders include US corporations Chevron and ExxonMobil—has verified that the latest drone assault damaged the administrative structure at its Novorossiysk marine terminal and necessitated an immediate cargo operations freeze.

Workers were evacuated to protective shelters following air-raid warnings. However, the CPC maintains the suspension proved short-lived. Recent reporting indicates petroleum loading operations have recommenced at the Black Sea facility.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry emphasized its commitment to uninterrupted energy deliveries and pressed Ukraine to implement "effective measures" to avert comparable attacks going forward.

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