In a significant escalation of the ongoing energy warfare between Ukraine and Russia, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has suspended oil loading operations at its Black Sea terminal in Novorossiysk following a Ukrainian naval drone attack. The incident, which occurred early on November 29, 2025, marks the latest in a series of targeted strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, highlighting the vulnerability of key export routes amid the protracted conflict.
Also, two tankers of Russia’s dark fleet were attacked in the Black Sea; the Daily Post in Nigeria reports they were severely damaged and called it an “accident,” while Ukraine claims to have hit them a second time with drones.
Details of the Latest Attack
The CPC, which transports crude oil from Kazakhstan’s Tengiz field through Russia to the Black Sea for global export, reported substantial damage to its mooring equipment from unmanned naval drones. Automated safety systems activated, preventing any oil spills into the sea, but operations were halted indefinitely pending repairs. Preliminary assessments indicate no casualties, though the attack disrupted loading at one of the world’s busiest oil terminals, which handles around 1.5 million barrels per day—equivalent to about 1.5% of global oil supply.
This follows a similar drone strike on November 25, after which operations briefly resumed, but the repeated assaults underscore Ukraine’s strategy to impair Russia’s oil export capabilities.
The Novorossiysk terminal is critical for Kazakh oil exports, and the halt could lead to backlog issues for producers like Chevron and ExxonMobil, who rely on the pipeline. Russian authorities have condemned the attack as an act of terrorism, while Ukrainian officials have not officially claimed responsibility but have previously justified such operations as legitimate responses to Russian aggression.
Update on Disruptions from Ukrainian Attacks on Energy Infrastructure
Since the intensification of the conflict in 2025, Ukraine has conducted numerous drone and missile strikes on Russian energy assets, primarily targeting oil refineries and depots to undermine Moscow’s war funding through reduced exports and domestic fuel shortages. These attacks have predominantly occurred within Russian territory, including regions like Saratov, Orenburg, and occupied Crimea, with no reported strikes on third-party countries’ infrastructure.
Oil Disruptions
Ukrainian forces have hit at least 17 major Russian oil refineries in 2025, with a surge in activity from August onward—over 40 attacks documented in that period alone.
Estimates vary, but these strikes have disabled approximately 20-40% of Russia’s total oil refining capacity, which stands at around 300 million metric tons per year. This equates to a potential loss of 60-120 million metric tons annually if fully offline.
However, Russia has mitigated the impact by utilizing spare capacity and prioritizing repairs, resulting in an actual production drop of only 3-6% year-over-year, or roughly 8-18 million metric tons lost in 2025.
The economic toll includes fuel shortages in some regions and reduced exports, contributing to global oil price volatility.
Natural Gas Disruptions
Disruptions to Russian natural gas production from Ukrainian attacks have been comparatively limited, as major gas fields are located in remote Siberian areas beyond easy drone reach. Early 2025 strikes on eastern gas facilities damaged about 40% of targeted capacity, leading to a 6-10% overall drop in production, estimated at 40-60 billion cubic meters (bcm) lost from Russia’s annual output of around 600 bcm.
A notable incident was the October drone attack on the Orenburg gas processing plant, the world’s largest of its kind, which caused temporary fires but minimal long-term disruption.
Overall, gas impacts remain secondary to oil, with Russia maintaining exports to non-European markets.The primary country affected is Russia itself, though indirect effects ripple to oil importers like China and India, and gas-dependent allies such as Belarus (via transit lines, though not directly attacked).
Russian Attacks on Ukrainian Energy and Their Impacts
In retaliation, Russia has escalated its assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout 2025, focusing on electricity generation, transmission grids, and natural gas facilities. These strikes aim to cripple Ukraine’s economy and civilian morale, especially as winter approaches, leading to widespread blackouts and industrial slowdowns.
Quantified Energy Losses
Ukraine’s pre-war electricity generation capacity was approximately 56 gigawatts (GW). Russian attacks have destroyed or occupied about 64-70% of this, equating to 36-41 GW lost.
This includes over 70% of thermal power plants and the occupation of the 6 GW Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Private operator DTEK alone lost 90% of its capacity.
The remaining 15-20 GW struggles to meet demand, resulting in power cuts of up to 16 hours daily in some areas and outages affecting millions—such as the recent November 29 strike leaving over 600,000 without power in Kyiv.
For natural gas, Russia has targeted production sites, wiping out more than half of Ukraine’s domestic output—estimated at a loss of 10-12 bcm from a pre-2025 baseline of 20 bcm annually.
Key assaults in October alone damaged 60% of capacity in one wave.
Ukraine has halted Russian gas transit as of January 2025, exacerbating shortages and forcing increased imports.
Systemic Impacts
The cumulative effect has triggered an energy crisis, with over 3,100 disruptions reported in 2025, leading to blackouts for millions, halted industrial operations, and heightened humanitarian risks.
Economically, the damage equates to billions in losses, with power shortages reducing GDP by an estimated 4-5%. Civilian casualties from energy-related incidents have risen 27% year-over-year, and winter could amplify health crises from lack of heating.
Ukraine’s grid is now heavily reliant on EU imports and emergency aid, but sustained attacks threaten a “crisis within a crisis.”
As both sides weaponize energy, global markets face uncertainty, with oil prices potentially spiking if disruptions persist. The CPC halt serves as a stark reminder of how intertwined the conflict is with the world’s energy security.
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