RoydadNaft –  Kazakhstan issued a sharp protest to Kyiv on Sunday, urging Ukraine to immediately cease drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal near Novorossiysk after a Ukrainian naval drone strike severely damaged critical loading infrastructure and forced a complete halt to oil exports.

The CPC, which transports more than 1% of global crude supply and handles roughly 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, confirmed that Single-Point Mooring-2 (SPM-2) — a vital floating buoy used to load tankers — was rendered inoperable following Friday’s attack. All loading operations have been suspended and tankers withdrawn from the area.

“This was the third deliberate assault on an exclusively civilian facility protected under international law,” Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said in a strongly worded statement. “We regard these actions as damaging to Kazakhstan–Ukraine bilateral relations and expect Ukraine to take effective measures to prevent recurrence.”

Kyiv rejected the criticism, insisting its operations target only Russian military and war-supporting infrastructure. “Ukraine is striking back at the aggressor,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry responded, emphasizing that the attacks are not directed at Kazakhstan or third countries.

The CPC pipeline, stretching 1,500 km from western Kazakhstan’s giant Tengiz, Kashagan, and Karachaganak fields to Russia’s Black Sea coast, is owned by a consortium including Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas, Russian firms, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Lukoil. While the crude is predominantly Kazakh, the terminal lies in Russian waters — placing it within range of Ukraine’s expanding long-range drone campaign against Russia’s energy sector.

The shutdown marks a rare instance of a Ukrainian strike directly disrupting a major export route for a neutral third country, highlighting the widening ripple effects of the nearly three-year conflict on global energy markets and Central Asian economies.

As of Sunday evening, no timeline has been given for resuming CPC loadings.