After mass Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia, oil-rich Kazakhstan in Central Asia has now announced a reduction in its production volumes.
July 23, 2026, 5:14 p.mJuly 23, 2026, 5:14 p.m
The Energy Ministry in the capital Astana justified the move with the security situation at the terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiyk.
The Ukrainian drone attacks are damaging the Russian-Kazakh oil infrastructure. (symbol image)Image: keystone
The loading point for the oil transported via the Caspian pipeline has recently been the target of repeated Ukrainian drone attacks.
The consortium, which uses the port to ship oil, recently protested against the Ukrainian attacks. The ministry also announced that the current reduction in oil production is a temporary measure. Loading operations are currently “temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of ships, crews and the environment in the Black Sea region.”
Ministry: Work on solutions is ongoing
However, the technical objects were working and would be ready for use should the situation return to normal, the statement continued. There is constant exchange with the consortium, shipping companies and government authorities. “Continuous consultations are currently taking place to develop solutions aimed at ensuring the conditions for safe shipping and resuming the stable export of Kazakh oil to world markets as quickly as possible,” the ministry said.
Ukraine wants to use the drone attacks to hit Russian oil exports, which Moscow uses to finance its war against the neighboring country. For months, Kiev has also been attacking oil refineries and storage facilities across the country – as well as ships from the so-called shadow fleet.
Kazakhstan recently increased its production volumes due to the tense situation on the energy markets in the wake of the war in the Middle East. However, the country, which relies on income from exports, suffered a setback in May when Russia stopped sending oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Germany because of the Ukrainian attacks. This accounted for around a fifth of the volume processed by the PCK refinery in Schwedt/Oder in Brandenburg. (sda/awp/dpa)