Ukraine Hits Caspian Oil Platform in Mass Drone Attack
Ukraine struck the Lukoil-operated Filanovsky oil rig, one of Russia’s largest offshore assets in the Caspian Sea.
The unprecedented overnight strike on December 9–10 marked Ukraine’s first attack in the Caspian region. The platform holds an estimated 129 million tons of oil and 30 billion cubic meters of gas, which are typically exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.
Sources familiar with the operation said the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) elite “Alpha” special operations unit carried out the strike using long-range, Ukrainian-made Lyutiy drones.
Reports indicate that at least four hits struck the platform, igniting fires and halting oil and gas production from more than 20 wells it serves. There were no reported injuries.
The attack coincided with a massive overnight assault involving nearly 300 drones and cruise missiles across Russia, targeting four other key energy facilities: an oil refinery in the Samara region, Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, an oil refinery in the Saratov region, and the Uryupinsk fuel storage depot in the Volgograd region.
In the hours following the Ukrainian attacks, Russia’s Ministry of Defense stated that its air defense forces had shot down 287 Ukrainian drones or missiles across the country and that damage at all targeted sites was minimal.
