A Ukrainian drone attack struck the main pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in the Kuban region of southern Russia, forcing a suspension of operations, the operating company reported.
According to the CPC, seven drones loaded with explosives and shrapnel targeted the Kropotkinskaya station, located 200 kilometers south of Rostov-on-Don. “There were no casualties among the staff, and employees managed to prevent an oil spill,” the company stated.
A team led by the consortium’s director, Nikolai Gorban, has been dispatched to assess the damage and determine whether operations can resume. For now, the flow of oil through the Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline is operating at minimal capacity.
This pipeline, stretching over 1,500 kilometers, primarily transports oil from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea, where it is exported to Europe. In 2024, it moved more than 63 million tons of crude oil.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported that it shot down more than 80 Russian drones launched at its territory early Monday. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired about 150 drones, of which 83 were intercepted, while 59 were lost without causing damage.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed attacks in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, and Zaporizhzhia. In the Kyiv region, at least one person was injured in an attack on Boryspil, while several homes, a factory, and a warehouse were damaged in Obukhiv, Vyshhorod, Fastiv, and Boryspil, according to Governor Mykola Kalashnyk.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry stated on Telegram that its air defense forces shot down 90 Ukrainian drones, including 38 over the Sea of Azov, 24 in Krasnodar, 15 in Crimea, seven over the Black Sea, two in Kursk and Rostov, and one in Bryansk and Belgorod.
For months, Ukraine has targeted Russian energy infrastructure—including refineries, pipelines, gas facilities, and fuel depots—as part of its strategy against the Russian invasion. This latest attack comes amid escalating hostilities and intense negotiations led by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with NBC News that more than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in combat since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Earlier in February, he had warned that Kyiv’s military losses had surpassed 45,000.
Additionally, nearly 380,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been wounded, and “tens of thousands are either missing or held captive in Russia,” according to Zelensky.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff estimates that Russia has lost a total of 859,920 troops since the start of the conflict, although it does not specify how many of those casualties include killed, wounded, missing, or captured soldiers.
In his interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, Zelensky reaffirmed that he would never accept a peace deal negotiated solely between the United States and Russia without Ukraine’s participation.
