Sea drones halt operations at major Russian oil terminal
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
MOSCOW: One of Russia’s largest oil terminals was forced to halt operations on Saturday (Nov 29) after being struck by Ukrainian sea drones, hours before a Ukrainian delegation headed to the United States for talks on a possible peace agreement.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which includes US oil majors Chevron and ExxonMobil, described the incident as a “terrorist attack”. Kyiv did not comment, but Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes as the war moves through its fourth year.
The attack occurred as Russian forces launched drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing three people and causing significant damage across Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.
TERMINAL SUFFERS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE
The CPC terminal receives crude from Kazakhstan and handles close to one percent of global oil supplies. The consortium said a single mooring point had suffered “significant damage” at around 4.06am Moscow time.
“Further operation of SMP-2 is not possible. Loadings will resume once the drone threat is lifted,” CPC said.
The strike underscores Kyiv’s strategy of targeting Russian energy assets far from the front lines. Russia has not publicly commented.
ZELENSKYY TEAM HEADS TO US AS PEACE PUSH INTENSIFIES
The attack came as diplomatic efforts accelerated. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a negotiating team was travelling to the United States to review a revised US-backed plan to end the war.
A French official said Zelenskyy would also meet President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday to continue discussions.
The push comes at a sensitive moment for Kyiv. Russian forces are making slow advances, while Zelenskyy’s administration is dealing with political pressure after a corruption scandal prompted the dismissal of his chief of staff on Friday.
DRONE STRIKES LEAVE KYIV IN DARKNESS
Residents in Kyiv endured hours of explosions through the night. Burnt-out vehicles and scorched apartment buildings were visible at sunrise.
More than 600,000 people nationwide were without power, including 500,000 in Kyiv, the energy ministry said. Russia said it struck infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s military industry. Ukraine said civilian sites had been hit deliberately.
“There was a piece of debris next to the bed, which hit the bed and got stuck,” said local media worker Galyna Bondarenko.
Another resident, Natalia Shkoda, said both her and her husband’s cars were destroyed. “When I went outside, I saw it burning,” she said.
UKRAINE CLAIMS ATTACK ON ‘SHADOW FLEET’ TANKERS
Separately, a Ukrainian security source told AFP that modified sea drones struck two tankers in the Black Sea. The tankers, the Virat and the Kairos, were travelling near Turkey’s coast to load sanctioned Russian oil.
Turkish officials said both ships were hit late Friday and one was struck again on Saturday morning. Ukraine calls the vessels part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to bypass Western sanctions.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has killed tens of thousands of civilians and troops and displaced millions.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app