Russia restores oil exports from key Baltic port after crippling strikes

According to shipping records reviewed by Bloomberg, on Saturday, April 4, an Aframax-class tanker named Jewel docked at the port of Ust-Luga. This is the first vessel to begin loading crude oil after a long pause that began in late March due to a series of successful UAV strikes.

Ust-Luga is the energy heart of western Russia. The suspension of operations at this terminal dealt a painful blow to the aggressor's logistics, forcing tankers to sit idle while waiting for a safe window.

War of attrition: While Ust-Luga patches its holes, Primorsk is on fire

Although Ust-Luga is trying to demonstrate stability, the situation on Russia's Baltic coast remains critical. While one port is recovering, another comes under fire:

• Primorsk: earlier on Sunday, April 5, another Ukrainian drone attack damaged facilities at this strategic port.
• Ukrainian army's tactics: systematic strikes on oil infrastructure aim to make oil exports as expensive and risky as possible for Russia.

The Russian monopoly Transneft has not officially commented on the situation, but experts note that the threat of further strikes forces the enemy to operate in a constant state of alert.

Economic noose tightens

Ukraine's actions are clearly calculated. Now that global energy prices have risen due to conflicts in the Middle East, restricting Russian export revenue hits the Kremlin's budget twice as hard. Every day of port downtime means millions of dollars in lost revenue that could have gone toward new missiles and shells.

Despite the tanker Jewel having started loading, the Baltic knot for Russia remains tightened. As long as Ukrainian birds control the skies over the Baltic, any resumption of exports is just a temporary pause before the next precise strike.