Ukraine reaches Russian oil platforms in "safe rear areas". Ukrainian long-range drones, operated by the Alpha Special Operations Center of the Security Service (SBU), have struck oil production platforms owned by Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft in the Caspian Sea for the third time in the past week, UkrInform reports.
On 11 and 12 December, SBU drones had already hit the Filanovsky and Korchagin platforms. The Filanovsky field is one of the largest discovered in Russia and in it
Ukraine reaches Russian oil platforms in "safe rear areas". Ukrainian long-range drones, operated by the Alpha Special Operations Center of the Security Service (SBU), have struck oil production platforms owned by Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft in the Caspian Sea for the third time in the past week, UkrInform reports.
On 11 and 12 December, SBU drones had already hit the Filanovsky and Korchagin platforms. The Filanovsky field is one of the largest discovered in Russia and in its sector of the Caspian Sea, with estimated reserves of 129 million tons of oil and 30 billion cubic meters of gas.
This time, the strike targeted a platform at the Korchagin oil and gas condensate field. According to the source, the drones damaged critical equipment, resulting in a complete halt of production processes at the site.
Striking oil revenues as a weapon of war
The Security Service of Ukraine emphasizes that such operations are part of a systematic effort to reduce the flow of oil revenues into Russia’s budget.
These funds are used to finance the war against Ukraine, from missile production to sustaining the army.
“No Russian facility that supports the war effort is safe, regardless of its location,” the SBU source said.
Ukraine is increasingly pushing combat operations deep into Russia's rear, undermining its capacity to wage war.
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces says it struck two Russian military-linked ships in the Caspian Sea near Kalmykia, according to Ukraine’s SSO on 12 December 2025. The targeted vessels were reportedly transporting weapons and military equipment and had been previously sanctioned by the US for their role in Russia-Iran arms transfers.
Kyiv employs long-range drones and sabotage operations deep inside Russia to disrupt military logistics, transportation networks, fuel infr
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces says it struck two Russian military-linked ships in the Caspian Sea near Kalmykia, according to Ukraine’s SSO on 12 December 2025. The targeted vessels were reportedly transporting weapons and military equipment and had been previously sanctioned by the US for their role in Russia-Iran arms transfers.
Kyiv employs long-range drones and sabotage operations deep inside Russia to disrupt military logistics, transportation networks, fuel infrastructure, and strategic assets.
Ukrainian special forces strike two sanctioned Russian ships in Caspian Sea
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) said they carried out a joint operation with the insurgent group Chornaya Iskra ("Black Spark”), targeting two Russian vessels close to Russia's Kalmykia coast. The ships were identified as the Kompozitor Rakhmaninov and Askar Sarydzha. Both had been sanctioned by the US for their involvement in transporting military cargo between Iran and Russia. The Caspian Sea is more than 800 km from the frontline in Ukraine.
The military did not specify how the ships were struck, what weapons were used, or the extent of the damage.
According to the SSO, the insurgent group provided precise details about the ships’ routes and their cargo before the operation. SOF says at the unspecified time of the attack, the ships were transporting weapons and military equipment.
The SSO emphasized that it continues to carry out asymmetric actions aimed at disrupting the offensive capacity of the Russian military.
Euromaidan Press was unable to independently verify the strike, the vessels involved, or any resulting damage.
According to tracking data, the Askar Sarydzha was on its way from Iran's Nadar Noshahr to an unknown destination 18 days ago — usually the ship shuttles between Iran and the Astrakhan port in the north of the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, the Kompozitor Rakhmaninov left Baku, Azerbaijan, days ago.
Iran supplies Russia with long-range drones, which Russia uses in its daily attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Other attacks in the Caspian
A day earlier, Ukrainian media, citing a Security Service source, reported that long-range drones from the SBU's Alpha special operations center struck the Filanovskyi oil production platform, owned by Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft. This marked the first reported Ukrainian strike on a Russian offshore oil field. Previously, Ukrainian attacks on fuel infrastructure had only targeted refineries, pipelines, depots, sea terminals, and, more recently, tankers in the shadow fleet.
Map showing the distance — over 900 kilometers — from Ukraine’s front line to the Filanovsky oil platform in the Caspian Sea. Source: Google Maps
In November 2024, Ukrainian drones struck the Russian Caspian Fleet's base for the first time.
Ukrainian special forces have struck a major Russian offshore oil platform in the Caspian Sea, halting production at one of the country's largest energy facilities, according to a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) cited by Ukrinform.
The attack in the Caspian is part of Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign targeting Russia’s fuel-industry assets to undermine the export revenues that sustain Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. A day earlier, the SBU’s Sea Baby drones struc
Ukrainian special forces have struck a major Russian offshore oil platform in the Caspian Sea, halting production at one of the country's largest energy facilities, according to a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) cited by Ukrinform.
The attack in the Caspian is part of Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign targeting Russia’s fuel-industry assets to undermine the export revenues that sustain Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. A day earlier, the SBU’s Sea Baby drones struck the Dashan oil tanker in the Black Sea, a Comoros-flagged vessel belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which relies on gray schemes to evade EU and G7 sanctions.
Until now, Ukraine had never struck Russian oil fields — only targeting refineries, pipelines, depots, sea terminals, and, more recently, shadow fleet tankers.
Ukrainian drones strike Russian Caspian oil platform for the first time
A source in the SBU told Ukrinform that long-range drones from the SBU’s Alpha special operations center hit the Filanovsky oil extraction platform, which belongs to Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft. The strike marks the first confirmed Ukrainian attack on Russian oil infrastructure in the Caspian Sea.
The Vladimir Filanovsky Field is a Russian oil and gas condensate field in the northern Caspian Sea, about 190 km from Astrakhan, discovered in 1994 and owned and operated by Lukoil. It is about 900 km from the frontline in Ukraine.
Map showing the distance — over 900 kilometers — from Ukraine’s front line to the Filanovsky oil platform in the Caspian Sea. Source: Google Maps
At least four drone hits were reportedly recorded on the offshore platform. As a result of the operation, oil and gas production from more than 20 wells serviced by the site came to a stop.
The Filanovsky field is one of the largest discovered in Russia. According to the source, the site holds reserves of 129 million tons of oil and 30 billion cubic meters of gas. The extracted resources were routed for export through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.
The source emphasized that the SBU continues to expand the scope of its special operations targeting Russia’s oil and gas sector.
“The ‘cotton’ in the Caspian Sea is another reminder to Russia that any of its enterprises working for the war are legitimate targets, wherever they are located,” the source said.
The "cotton" is a Ukrainian humorous term based on Russia’s euphemistic хлопо́к ("clap") downplaying explosions in reports about Russia, which machine translation often misrenders as хло́пок “cotton.”
Kazakhstan is redirecting crude oil from its giant Kashagan field to China for the first time after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s (CPC) Black Sea terminal. Kashagan, an offshore field located in Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea zone near Atyrau, ranks among the largest oil discoveries of the past 40 years, with recoverable reserves estimated at 7-13 billion barrels.
Earlier this week, Geopoly Global analyst Randall Schmollinger asked whether
Kazakhstan is redirecting crude oil from its giant Kashagan field to China for the first time after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s (CPC) Black Sea terminal. Kashagan, an offshore field located in Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea zone near Atyrau, ranks among the largest oil discoveries of the past 40 years, with recoverable reserves estimated at 7-13 billion barrels.
Earlier this week, Geopoly Global analyst Randall Schmollinger asked whether Kazakhstan could diversify fast enough to matter. Now we have an answer: yes, but the oil is heading to Beijing, not Brussels.
CPC terminal crippled
Kashagan exports most of its output through the CPC pipeline to Russia’s Novorossiysk port, where tankers carry it to European and global markets. Ukrainian drone strikes on 14 November, 24-25 November, and 29 November damaged critical loading infrastructure at the terminal. Only one of three single-point moorings remains operational—SPM-2 was seriously damaged, while SPM-3 is undergoing scheduled maintenance.
Kashagan oil field near Atyrau. CPC disruptions have prompted Kazakhstan to reroute crude to China. Map: Euromaidan Press / Datawrapper
China steps in
Kazakhstan plans to ship 50,000 metric tons to China in December, according to Reuters. China National Petroleum Corporation will transport roughly 30,000 tons via the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline, while Japan’s Inpex will ship about 20,000 tons. Both companies hold stakes in the consortium operating the Kashagan field.
Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry confirmed it is “working to redistribute volumes and intensify the use of alternative routes,” but said the CPC disruption did not halt exports completely.
The Atasu-Alashankou pipeline typically carries oil from other Kazakh fields—not Kashagan. Current monthly flows average 85,000-86,000 tons, leaving capacity for additional shipments.
Implications for Europe
The redirection comes as Europe depends on CPC crude for roughly 11.5% of its oil imports—about 1.05 million barrels daily. Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands are among the largest buyers of Kazakh oil transported through the Russian terminal.
The consortium also counts Chevron and ExxonMobil among its shareholders. Kyiv maintains its strikes target Russia’s war-sustaining infrastructure, not neutral third parties like Kazakhstan, but the economic fallout does not observe that distinction.
Whether this represents a temporary emergency measure or a longer-term shift remains unclear. Kazakhstan has balanced between Russia, China, and the West for three decades. The CPC terminal handles nearly 80% of Kazakhstan’s crude exports. A prolonged CPC disruption could force Astana into choices it has long avoided.
Connexion
