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The Armed Forces of Ukraine resumed massive drone strikes in Russian rear regions. On the night of February 17th, Russian air defense destroyed and intercepted 90 Ukrainian UAVs and one missile in six rear regions, over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The night attack again resulted in damage to Russian rear civilian infrastructure.
The night attack mainly targeted the southern regions of Krasnodar. Rostov and Crimea. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, during the night, Russian air defense forces destroyed:
- 38 UAVs over the Sea of Azov;
- 24 UAVs in the Krasnodar region;
- 15 UAVs in Crimea;
- 7 UAVs over the Black Sea;
- 2 UAVs in the border Kursk region;
- 2 UAVs in the Rostov region;
- 1 UAV in the border Bryansk region;
- 1 UAV in the border Belgorod region.
Ukrainian Neptune-MD guided missile was destroyed over the Sea of Azov.
The southern Krasnodar region came under massive attack and local infrastructure suffered damage. One of the targets of Ukrainian strikes was the local Ilsky oil refinery, where a fire reportedly broke out as a result of the strikes. Wreckage of the destroyed UAVs also damaged 12 houses in the village nearby. A civilian woman was wounded.
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Another target of Ukrainian strikes was the Kropotkin Oil Pumping Station, which belongs to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). It was attacked by seven Ukrainian UAVs loaded with explosives and additional metal striking elements. The company confirmed the attacks and reported that the station was shut down as a result of the strikes. Oil is pumped through the system at reduced modes, bypassing the damaged station.
The Kropotkin Oil Pumping Station is located near the city of Armavir in the Krasnodar region. This is the largest station of the CPC in Russia. It pumps oil through a pipeline and accepts raw materials from Russian producers.
The CPC oil pipeline system is the largest oil transportation route from the Caspian region to world markets with a total capacity of 83 million tons of oil per year. This is the key route for the export of Kazakh oil (more than 80% of the country’s exports). The 1.5 thousand kilometer pipeline connects the fields of Western Kazakhstan with the Black Sea coast, where oil is shipped to tankers through the CPC marine terminal.
The consortium’s largest shareholders include Russia (Transneft), Kazakhstan (Kazmunaygas), as well as Chevron, Lukoil, ExxonMobil, Rosneft and Shell joint ventures.
All shareholders of the international consortium, including representatives of companies from the United States and Europe, have been notified of the terrorist attack on a civilian facility by UAVs and its results.
Thus, the terrorist Kiev regime feels unpunished and dares attacks on the assets of foreign companies, including American Chevron, ExxonMobil, and British Shell.
In December 2024, Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked the Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies not only Russian but also Kazakh oil to Europe. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan stated that the incident did not affect the infrastructure that the country uses to transport oil.
