Kazakhstan opens criminal case after citizens support Ukrainian strikes on CPC

The Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan has opened a criminal case after citizens supported Ukrainian strikes on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).

“During the pre-trial investigation, measures are being taken to identify the individuals involved and collect evidence of their guilt, based on which their actions will receive a final legal qualification and a procedural decision will be made,” the prosecutor's office said in a statement, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) is a major oil export route that transports crude from Kazakhstan through Russia to the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk for shipment to global markets. The pipeline is about 1,500 km long, and handles roughly 80 % of Kazakhstan’s oil exports and more than 1 % of global seaborne oil supply. Its shareholders include energy companies and state-owned firms from Russia, Kazakhstan, the United States and Western Europe — making it a strategic international energy project.

Since 2025, Ukraine has significantly expanded its military campaign to include strikes on infrastructure linked to Russian energy exports, including CPC facilities.

On February 17, 2025, Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) struck the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station — the largest CPC pump station in Russia’s Krasnodar region — damaging equipment and reducing pipeline throughput by around 30–40 %. This immediately affected Kazakh oil exports routed through the pipeline.

On November 29, 2025, Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels attacked the CPC marine terminal at Novorossiysk, damaging one of its key single‑point mooring loading units (SPM‑2). This damage forced the suspension of oil loading operations at that terminal until repairs are completed.

These attacks are part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to hit energy infrastructure that supports Russia’s war effort, specifically targeting export routes and facilities that bring revenue into the Russian economy.

By Khagan Isayev