Russia accuses Ukraine of deliberately attacking targets belonging to US companies, “in order to destabilize the hydrocarbon market”
The Ministry of Defense of Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of a new attack on the facilities of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (KTK) and of the fire declared at four storage tanks, informs EFE, taken over by Agerpres.
“On the night of April 6, the Kiev regime, in order to destabilize the world hydrocarbon market and interrupt the supply of petroleum products to European consumers, attacked with fixed-wing attack drones the maritime terminal (of KTK) in Novorossiisk,” the military statement reads.
According to the Russian military, it is a “deliberate attack” on an international oil transportation company with the aim of “producing maximum economic damage to its shareholders: energy companies from the United States and Kazakhstan.”
In addition, the attack on the port city of Novorossiisk caused damage to the civilian population in the area, including children, the Defense Ministry said.
According to the media, the target of the attack was Sheskharis, one of the largest oil terminals in southern Russia, which has been operating since 1964. This terminal receives, stores and sends oil and derived products for export, as well as to supply refineries in southern Russia.
The terminal has 30 tanks for crude oil storage, with a total capacity of 820,000 cubic meters.
Massive fires after drone strikes
The Sheskharis oil terminal was hit by drones, independent Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported, citing an open-source analysis of footage shot there.
It is home to a major oil export terminal that serves as the end point for pipelines operated by Russia's state-owned Transneft, the world's largest oil pipeline company.
The biggest fire was recorded at the first key of the terminal, and the second key of the site was also hit, the independent publication Exilenova Plus also wrote.
The surveillance control and data acquisition nodes, which function as computer control hardware for the facilities, were also hit.
The Sheskharis oil terminal will not be able to continue deliveries due to damaged infrastructure, according to the publication.
