Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil platform in Caspian Sea, halting production

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has carried out its first-ever strike on Russian oil production infrastructure in the Caspian Sea, targeting the Filanovsky offshore platform owned by Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft and halting its operations.

Long-range drones from the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Center hit the Filanovsky oil production platform, marking a significant expansion of Ukraine’s strikes against Russia’s energy infrastructure, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“At least four hits on the offshore platform were recorded,” the report noted. As a result of the attack, oil and gas extraction from more than 20 wells serviced by the platform came to a stop.

The Filanovsky field is among the largest discovered in Russia and within the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea. Its reserves total an estimated 129 million tons of oil and 30 billion cubic metres of gas. The extracted products had been exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

An informed SBU source commented on the operation, stating: “The SBU continues successful special operations against the Russian oil and gas sector, constantly expanding their geography. The ‘cotton’ in the Caspian Sea is another reminder to Russia that all its enterprises working for the war are legitimate targets. No matter where they are located.”

The strike in the Caspian follows another major SBU operation on December 10, when Sea Baby naval drones hit the Dashan oil tanker in the Black Sea. The vessel, part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” was transporting oil products valued at approximately $60 million in a single shipment.

By Vafa Guliyeva