Kazakhstan expresses concern to Kyiv over drone attack on Caspian Pipeline Consortium

Kazakhstan has raised concerns with Ukraine following a February attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) oil pumping station, which was reportedly carried out by Ukrainian armed forces using a drone.

The information was disclosed by Kazakhstan's First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Akan Rakhmetullin, in a statement to journalists after a meeting at the Mazhilis (lower house) of Kazakhstan's parliament, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“We have expressed our concern regarding the first attack to the Ukrainian side,” Rakhmetullin said, referring to the incident on February 17. The CPC, a key energy transport route running through Russian territory, is an international consortium involving stakeholders from Russia, the US, and Kazakhstan. It is used to carry oil from Kazakhstan to global markets.

The attack targeted the “Kropotkinskaya” oil pumping station, resulting in damage that temporarily halted operations. Although the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan confirmed that oil transportation resumed after the incident, bypassing the damaged station, the attack raised serious security concerns.

Rakhmetullin also mentioned that Kazakhstan is closely monitoring a second attack, which occurred in March, but added that no further information is currently available. "We are in contact with the Ukrainian side, and discussions are taking place on this issue... As for the Ukrainian side, they are aware," confirmed Alibek Kuantyrov, Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The March attack, reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, targeted the same oil pumping station, further heightening tensions. According to Russian officials, Ukrainian forces used a drone to strike the Kropotkinskaya station on March 24. The Russian air defense system intercepted the drone seven kilometers from the facility, with fragments falling near the Kavkazskaya railway station.

Despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statements contradicting the Russian Ministry's account, the Ukrainian drone strike was confirmed by the Russian military, marking the second attack on this critical infrastructure in a span of just over a month.

By Vugar Khalilov