Kazakhstan’s MFA will talk to Ukraine over drone attacks against CPC

The CPC accounts for 80 percent of all Kazakhstani oil exports / Photo: cpc.ru, photo editor: Dastan Shanay

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan will discuss the attack on the Kropotkinskaya pump station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), Informburo.kz reported, citing Akan Rakhmetullin, first deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan.

«We are aware of the situation. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan has already made a statement confirming that the drone attack has not affected oil exports. Of course, we will talk to the Ukrainians and we will meet them. We will certainly have a meeting either here or in Kyiv. We have to find a diplomatic solution to avoid a repeat of this situation in the future,» Rakhmetullin said.

On the night of Feb. 17, a group of Ukrainian drones attacked the Kropotkinskaya oil pump station, the largest facility within the CPC, which accounts for 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. Recovery work at the facility may take up to two months, potentially causing a 30% decline in Kazakhstani oil shipments, the Russian pipeline company Transneft stated.

Some oil and gas experts believe the incident may have negative consequences for Kazakhstan’s economy. Olzhas Baidildinov estimates that the state budget could lose about $600 million due to the decline in oil exports. Abzal Narymbetov, author of the Energy Analytics Telegram channel, highlighted that a 30% drop in oil exports may lead to a 5% decrease in Kazakhstan’s oil export revenue.

The CPC is an international consortium of major oil companies from Russia, Kazakhstan, the United States and several European countries. In 2024, the pipeline transported 63 million tons of oil, with Western shippers accounting for 74% of that volume. American oil giant Chevron, for instance, exported 26.8 million tons of oil through the CPC — 20% of its total global output.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, foreign investors in the CPC are eager to restore operations at the damaged pump station. As a result, they must supply the necessary equipment for the overhaul to Russia despite sanctions.