Drone strike paralyzes Russia's Baltic oil exports, media report
Photo: Oil shipments in the Baltic Sea have been halted (Getty Images)
Russian ports Primorsk and Ust-Luga have halted shipments of oil and petroleum products following a drone strike and a large-scale fire at the terminals, Reuters reports.
The agency described the drone attack on Russia’s Baltic ports as "one of the largest strikes to date" on the country’s oil export infrastructure in four years of war. Sources told the outlet that smoke from the strike was visible even in Finland.
The suspension of Russian oil exports is likely to "add to uncertainty" on global oil markets amid the conflict in the Middle East, the report said. A source told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the terminal in Ust-Luga was sealed off, while storage tanks were engulfed in flames.
Background
Earlier today, March 25, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported a special operation targeting infrastructure at the Ust-Luga oil terminal in Russia’s Leningrad region. Long-range drones operated by the SBU’s Alpha special operations unit struck targets at a distance of about 900 km.
Oil loading facilities and storage tanks containing oil and petroleum products were hit. A large-scale fire was also recorded at the port.
The attack on Russia’s Baltic oil exports marked the second such strike within a week. On Monday, March 23, SBU drones struck the port of Primorsk, which is still burning.
After recent drone attacks, Russia temporarily halted oil exports through the ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga. The strikes caused fires and disrupted infrastructure operations.
In addition, on March 23, Ukraine’s Defense Forces targeted key Russian energy facilities, including the Transneft–Port Primorsk oil terminal and the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim refinery.
