Transneft Cuts Crude Oil Intake After Ukrainian Drone Attack

Russia's oil pipeline monopoly Transneft has cut crude intake into its system by some 250,000 barrels per day after a Ukrainian drone attack on its Kaleykino pumping station on Monday, two sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.

The cuts mostly affected shipments from Tatarstan producer Tatneft, one of the sources said.

Ukrainian drones hit the major Kaleykino station, which serves the Druzhba pipeline carrying Moscow's crude to Eastern Europe and to Russia's main western ports, according to a Ukrainian security official and industry sources.

The strike caused a fire at the station, which has capacity to pump about 1 million barrels per day, near the city of Almetyevsk in Tatarstan, more than 1,200 km (750 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Kaleykino is a key point for West Siberian oil transport. Built in the 1970s, it is a critical junction for pumping and blending as oil of different qualities is mixed into the Urals medium-sulphur export blend and the sweet Siberian Light grade.

Pipelines from Kaleykino supply major western ports including Novorossiisk and Primorsk, as well as the Druzhba pipeline. The station is also an important hub for deliveries to Russian domestic refineries.

The extent of the damage has yet to be assessed, but if severe it could affect Russian oil exports, including volumes and quality, the industry sources said.

Two 50,000-metric-ton storage tanks caught fire during the attack, one of them said.

Transneft and Tatneft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Almetyevsk administration said Russian air defences had shot down several drones over the district, with debris igniting a fire in an industrial zone. It did not mention the Druzhba pipeline or give details of any possible damage.

The attack, the latest Ukrainian strike on the route, risks heightening tensions between Ukraine and its neighbours Hungary and Slovakia. Both have accused Kyiv of trying to block oil flows through the pipeline to their refineries.

Shipments of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia have been suspended since January 27, when Kyiv says a Russian drone strike hit pipeline equipment in western Ukraine.

Hungary blocked further EU sanctions on Moscow and a big loan for Kyiv on Monday, straining Europe's pro-Ukrainian consensus on the eve of the war's fourth anniversary.

(Reuters)