Oil terminal in Russia's Primorsk burns for fourth day: Satellite images
Photo: oil terminal (Getty Images)
The oil terminal in the Russian city of Primorsk has been burning for the fourth day following an attack by Ukrainian drones, according to Planet Labs satellite images from March 26 and Radio Liberty. At the same time, Bloomberg writes that the port is partially resuming operations.
Strike that disabled a key hub
On the night of March 23, drones from the Security Service of Ukraine (Special Operations Center Alpha), together with other units of the Defense Forces — Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), Special Operations Forces (SSO), Defense intelligence (HUR), and the State Border Guard Service — attacked the oil terminal at the port of Primorsk in Leningrad region. After the hits, a massive fire broke out at the facility, which is still ongoing.
Satellite images and partial recovery
Planet Labs satellite images from March 26 show that the fire at the terminal is still burning — smoke remains visible despite the cloud cover. At the same time, Bloomberg reports that the port is partially resuming operations. The images also show a new vessel docked at the port, which was not there as of March 24.
Scale of the facility and impact on Russian exports
The port of Primorsk is a key Russian export hub. A significant portion of oil shipments to foreign markets passes through it, including via the so-called shadow fleet. In 2025 alone, over 46.6 million tons of oil were handled through the terminal.
Following the attack, fuel shipments from the terminal were temporarily halted. This disrupted the logistics of Russian oil exports and created additional challenges for the shadow fleet, which Russia uses to bypass international sanctions.
Previously, RBC-Ukraine reported on systematic strikes by the Defense Forces against Russian refineries and terminals. In particular, in February 2026, drones attacked an oil depot in the Volgograd region, and in January, a refinery in Ryazan.
According to Reuters, as a result of the UAV attacks, Russia lost up to 40% of its oil exports.
