Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has struck a third Lukoil oil production platform in the Caspian Sea with drones, according to sources in Ukrainian media citing the agency. This time, the target was a drilling rig at the Rakushechnoye field. Footage from the drone’s onboard camera reportedly shows a successful hit near the platform’s gas turbine unit.
On December 15, Ukrainian drones attacked a platform at the Korchagin oil and gas condensate field. The strike is said to have disabled key equipment, forcing a halt to production at the facility.
Earlier, on December 11 and 12, Ukrainian UAVs targeted oil production platforms at the Filanovsky and Korchagin fields. The Filanovsky field is among the largest discovered in Russia and in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea, with recoverable reserves estimated at 129 million tonnes of oil and 30 billion cubic meters of gas.
Separately, it was previously reported that the Slavneft–Yaroslavl Oil Refinery (YANOS), which was hit by drones on December 12 and is located about 250 kilometers from Moscow, has suspended fuel production. The refinery ranks among Russia’s five largest.
Ukraine is escalating pressure on what it describes as the economic backbone of President Vladimir Putin’s war effort, vowing to leave no room for oil trading companies that support Russia in the conflict, according to sources cited by Ukrainian media.
Based on information obtained from what are described as reliable sources, Ukraine is currently planning what it calls a decisive strike against Putin’s so-called “shadow fleet.” The focus, the sources say, is on oil trading companies that for years have transported Russian crude and are allegedly linked to financing the war.
The claims suggest that executives of such trading firms operating in hubs including Singapore, Dubai, Geneva, and Malta—as well as lawyers said to be protecting their interests—are being targeted as part of this pressure campaign.
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