San Francisco Frontiers - Sea drones halt operations at major Russian oil terminal

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a group that includes US oil majors Chevron and ExxonMobil and which owns the terminal, called the strike a "terrorist attack".

Ukraine, which did not comment on the incident, has sought to punch back against its neighbour as the war grinds through its fourth year.

The attack came as Moscow's forces fired a deadly storm of drones and missiles at Ukraine, killing three people and damaging buildings across Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

"As a result of a targeted terrorist attack by unmanned boats at 4:06 am Moscow time (0106 GMT) single Mooring Point 2 (SMP-2) sustained significant damage," the CPC said in a statement on Telegram.

"Further operation of SMP-2 is not possible. Loadings at the terminal will be carried out in accordance with established rules once the drone threats are lifted," it added.

The CPC pipeline, which begins in Kazakhstan and ends at the terminal, is a major conduit for Kazakh oil and one of the world's largest by volume, handling around one percent of global supplies.

The United States has put forward a plan to end the conflict that it is seeking to finalise with Moscow and Kyiv's approval.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that a team was on the way to the United States to review the plan, but the talks come at a difficult moment for him and his administration.

Russia has been advancing on the front line for over a year, while Zelensky's government has faced pressure from a blockbuster corruption probe that on Friday forced him to sack his powerful chief of staff.

- 'I saw it burning' -

AFP journalists in Kyiv reported a night of intense explosions that kept many in the capital awake.

In the morning, reporters saw burned out cars and apartment buildings charred from fire.

The strikes left more than 600,000 consumers nationwide without power, 500,000 of whom were in Kyiv, the energy ministry said.

Russia, which denies targeting civilians, says it struck energy infrastructure powering the Ukraine's military-industrial complex.

Ukraine says Russia's attacks are a cynical ploy to wear down its civilian population.

"The main targets of the attack were energy infrastructure and civilian facilities, with extensive damage and fires in residential buildings," Zelensky said on X.

"We currently have reports of dozens injured and three killed."

Galyna Bondarenko, a Ukrainian media worker, told AFP in Kyiv that the explosion sent debris flying into her home.

"There was a piece of debris next to the bed, which hit the bed and got stuck," she said.

Another resident, 43-year-old Natalia Shkoda, said the attacks set her and husband's cars on fire.

"We heard a very loud explosion... My husband said: 'Maybe it hit our car.' When I went outside, I saw it burning."

- Ukraine targets 'shadow fleet' -

A Ukrainian source meanwhile claimed responsibility for attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea allegedly covertly transporting sanctioned Russian oil

The two ships, the Virat and the Kairos, were rocked by explosions off Turkey's coast late Friday, according to the Turkish transport ministry. One of the two was struck again early Saturday, the ministry said.

"Modernised Sea Baby naval drones successfully targeted the vessels," a source in Ukraine's SBU security service told AFP.

The source shared a video that purported to show sea drones gliding towards the two ships, before sparking explosions.

Russia launched its full-scale offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed since the war began, while millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes.

M.Hill--SFF