Ukraine hits Russian oil rig in Caspian Sea for first time, official says

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KYIV, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Ukrainian aerial drones struck a Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea for the first time on Thursday, halting production at the facility owned by Lukoil, according to an official from Ukraine’s Security Service.

The attack on the Filanovsky rig – part of Russia’s largest Caspian oil field – is the latest sign that Ukraine is trying to step up its campaign to disrupt Russian oil and gas output.

At least four drone strikes hit the platform, forcing extraction to stop at more than 20 oil and gas wells, the official said. The Filanovsky field, discovered in 2005, was inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2016 and produces about 120,000 barrels per day.

Lukoil did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the attack.

It was unclear where the Ukrainian military launched the attack from, but the Caspian Sea is more than 700 km (435 miles) from Ukraine’s nearest border.

Kyiv has conducted numerous drone strikes on Russian oil facilities this year in an effort to undermine Moscow’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine.

The strikes have particularly targeted oil refineries, many of which are situated in the European part of Russia.

Ukraine widened its campaign last month by targeting unregulated tankers transporting Russian oil through the Black Sea. Three such vessels have been hit by Ukrainian sea drones in the last two weeks.

At least seven blasts have struck other tankers that called at Russian ports since December 2024 in locations including the Mediterranean. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied any role in those attacks.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has accused Ukraine of piracy and threatened to retaliate by cutting off Ukraine’s maritime access in response to attacks on tankers.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth, writing by Max Hunder; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Ros Russell)