On Wednesday night, Ukraine’s Defense Forces launched strikes on the piers and infrastructure of the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and air defense positions in the city area, reported President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Tonight, our Defense Forces of Ukraine carried out a unique operation striking the naval base in Novorossiysk – the last main outpost of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, at a distance of over 300 kilometers from the front line. Our ‘Palianytsia’ jet drones, ‘Neptune’ missiles, and uncrewed surface vessels accurately hit designated targets. Hits on air defense positions, piers, and seaport infrastructure have been confirmed," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
He thanked the military "for their accuracy and good results" and emphasized that "the occupying fleet and all supporting infrastructure will not be safe as long as Russian aggression continues." "The war needs to be stopped, and all adequate proposals for diplomacy are on the table," Zelenskyy added.
As reported, earlier the Financial Times, citing its own sources, wrote that US Vice President James David Vance asked Zelenskyy during a telephone conversation on July 31 to cease strikes on tankers using the Russian port of Novorossiysk to transport Kazakh oil, and the Ukrainian side granted this request by canceling an intensive drone strike campaign against oil tankers. The report said that Washington was concerned that Ukraine would further destabilize oil markets and harm American companies by attacking tankers carrying oil from Kazakhstan to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
According to officials, Ukraine agreed not to attack CPC infrastructure or non-Russian vessels unless those vessels are under Ukrainian sanctions and are not carrying Russian oil or other Russian cargo. It is noted that American energy giants Chevron and ExxonMobil hold stakes in CPC, which is the main oil export route for Kazakhstan, and in western Kazakh oil fields that supply it. Chevron owns 50% of Tengiz, the country’s largest field, while Exxon owns 25%.
