On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that a recent drone attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pumping station in southern Russia may have been coordinated with Western allies of Ukraine.
Key Highlights:
Allegations of Coordination:
Putin expressed skepticism about Ukraine’s ability to execute such an attack independently, claiming it likely received Western intelligence support.
He stated, “Attacks of this kind are impossible without space reconnaissance. Ukraine receives high-precision data on the targets only from its Western allies.”
Details of the Attack:
A drone strike targeted a pumping station on the oil pipeline earlier this week, leading to reduced oil flows from Kazakhstan to global markets. This pipeline is operated by Western firms, including Chevron and Exxon Mobil.
Impact on Global Energy Markets:
Putin warned that the attack would have repercussions on global energy markets, stating that restoring the damaged facility would be challenging.
He noted, “The strike on such a facility… would have an impact on the world’s energy markets. First of all because unfortunately it is impossible to quickly restore this facility due to the fact that Western equipment is present there, and Western equipment has been damaged.”
Western Sanctions:
Putin highlighted the complications arising from Western sanctions, which prohibit the supply of oil and gas equipment, further hampering recovery efforts.