Ukraine attacks Russian platforms in the Caspian Sea

According to Bloomberg, Ukraine has attacked three Lukoil drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea in an effort to undermine the economic base of Russia’s war machine. The strikes targeted facilities at the Filanovsky, Korchagin and Grayfer oil fields.

Attack details

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has already confirmed the operation. In a Telegram post, it reported direct hits on infrastructure and said it is currently assessing the extent of the damage. The agency also noted that this was not the first attack on targets in the Caspian Sea, as similar strikes on oil infrastructure were reported in December.

Attacked facilities

Lukoil is the only operator of fixed platforms in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea. The strikes targeted three of the company’s key operating assets in the Northern Caspian:

• The V. Filanovsky oil field, Russia’s largest oil project in the region.
• The Yury Korchagin field, the first offshore platform launched by Lukoil.
• The V. Grayfer field, the newest facility, commissioned only recently.

Kazakhstan has no stake in any of these projects, which are controlled solely by Russia.

Risks for Kazakhstan

Nevertheless, the escalation of the conflict in the Caspian and Black Seas poses direct threats to Kazakhstan’s oil exports. The main route for transporting oil from Kazakhstan is the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which runs to Novorossiysk, a Russian port with a major oil terminal on the Black Sea.

CPC infrastructure has already been attacked on numerous occasions, including strikes in February, September, and November last year. The most recent Ukrainian attack, carried out with unmanned sea drones on Nov. 29, damaged the VPU-2 single-point mooring.