Ukraine sharply intensified attacks on Russian oil infrastructure in November, with one of the strikes effectively stopping the main export route for Kazakh oil.
This is reported by Bloomberg, citing sources.
The agencyʼs sources report that over the weekend Ukrainian drones damaged one of the three mooring points of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, through which Kazakhstan ships most of its oil. After the explosion, the operation of this mooring node is impossible, and it is actually not functioning now.
Another mooring point is undergoing scheduled repairs, so the CPC currently has only one working point. This poses risks to the stability of supplies, as about 1.5 million barrels per day passed through this route before the attack. Kazakhstan is already redirecting some exports to alternative routes and calls attacks on civilian energy infrastructure “unacceptable”.
In total, Ukrainian drones attacked Russian refineries at least 14 times in November — a record number for the entire duration of the war.
Analysts note that repeated strikes on Russian refineries have already reduced processing to about 5 million barrels per day and pose risks of further disruptions, as some plants may be unsafe to start even after repairs.
What is known about the Russian shadow fleet?
In early December 2022, the G7 members, as well as Australia and the EU, imposed price caps on Russian oil, setting a maximum price of $60 per barrel. From February 5, 2023, these countries imposed price caps on Russian petroleum products: $100 for diesel fuel, $45 for various lubricants.
To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun building a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so that they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. These tankers are mostly operated by the Russian state-owned company “Suchkomflot”.
According to The Guardian’s September 2023 estimates, Russia’s shadow fleet consists of approximately 600 vessels, providing 70% of Russia’s oil exports and approximately 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. With its help, the Russian Federation transports almost 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, which brings large profits to the Kremlin.
On November 29, Ukrainian naval drones attacked two sanctioned oil tankers of the Russian shadow fleet in the Black Sea. These are the vessels Kairo and Virat, which were effectively disabled after the attack.
On December 1, explosions occurred on an oil tanker carrying Russian oil off the coast of Senegal.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.