Kazakhstan urges Ukraine to halt drone attacks on Black Sea tankers

September 29, 2026 at 05:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Key Facts

Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi called on Ukraine to stop drone attacks on Kazakh vessels in the Black Sea.
Tleuberdi met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
In July, the tanker Nordic Zenith was damaged in a night drone attack near the CPC terminal, forcing cancellation of loading and evacuation of 13 crew members.
Another tanker, Yasa Polaris, was also attacked in the CPC terminal area.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium is the main export route for Kazakh oil, connecting western Kazakhstan fields to a terminal near Novorossiysk.

Diplomatic Appeal

Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi called on Ukraine to stop drone attacks on Kazakh vessels in the Black Sea. He made the appeal after meeting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Tleuberdi said the Kazakh side told Ukraine of the need to prevent future drone attacks on Kazakh ships in the Black Sea. He also said Kazakhstan urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to negotiate with Ukraine. Tleuberdi added that if both sides express a desire to hold talks in Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan would not object, but the issue should be resolved only between the two countries.

July Attacks

In July, drone attacks targeted vessels involved in transporting Kazakh oil from the CPC terminal in Novorossiysk. Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry called these attacks an encroachment on the country's interests. The oil tanker Nordic Zenith, heading to load oil at the CPC marine terminal, was damaged in a night attack. A fire broke out on the vessel, which the crew managed to extinguish, but loading was cancelled. After the crew sent an SOS signal, consortium specialists evacuated 13 people, while 9 crew members chose to remain on board.

CPC Infrastructure

Another oil tanker, Yasa Polaris, was also attacked in the CPC terminal area. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium is the main export route for Kazakh oil. The pipeline connects fields in western Kazakhstan and Russian fields on the Caspian shelf with a marine terminal near Novorossiysk.