Strikes on Russian Baltic oil terminals cause massive losses: Damage revealed
Photo: Strikes on Ust-Luga and Primorsk: How much money did the Kremlin lose? (Getty Images)
A series of strikes on key Russian oil terminals in the Baltic region has cost Russia nearly a billion dollars, and that’s just in lost export revenue, according to Financial Times.
What burned and how much was lost
Five strikes on the ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga damaged terminals through which more than 40% of Russia’s seaborne oil exports pass.
In Primorsk alone, approximately $200 million worth of oil was destroyed.
The attacks also hit Lukoil’s oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region, as well as chemical and fertilizer plants whose products can be used for military purposes.
When will operations resume
Partial oil shipments through the terminals could resume within a few days. But a full recovery will take longer. Damaged storage tanks will take months to repair, and restoring production lines in Ust-Luga could take over a month.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia cannot guarantee 100% protection of energy facilities.
The state is shifting part of the costs of countering drones onto businesses: companies are purchasing electronic warfare systems on their own and organizing physical security. One entrepreneur told the FT that he has spent at least 1.5 billion rubles, about $19.1 million, on this.
But even these expenses may not yield results: new Ukrainian drones fly along pre-programmed coordinates without radio communication, so some of Russia’s electronic warfare systems simply do not work against them.
Why Ukraine continues attacks
Ukraine was already prepared to suspend attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, provided Russia ceased its massive strikes on the Ukrainian power grid.
But in early February, Russia violated this agreement: it launched powerful missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian thermal power plants, coal-fired power plants, and substations in the midst of a severe cold snap. In response, Ukraine sharply intensified its campaign of strikes against Russia’s oil and export infrastructure.
President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would cease its attacks only if Russia takes reciprocal action.
Strikes on Ust-Luga
Following a series of attacks, the oil ports of Ust-Luga and Koivisto on the Baltic Sea have almost completely halted cargo handling.
According to Finnish maritime authorities, the number of shipments has dropped from 40–50 per week to just one vessel.
Meanwhile, on the night of April 5, Ukrainian drones also attacked Nizhny Novgorod, three waves of drones, over 20 explosions, and widespread power outages in several districts of the city, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing local sources.
On April 2, a drone struck Rosneft’s Novo-Ufimsky refinery: a fire broke out at the plant and the CDU-5 unit, which accounts for 28% of the facility’s total capacity, shut down, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing Reuters.
And on April 5, according to Bloomberg, the tanker Jewel became the first vessel to begin loading oil in Ust-Luga after a long hiatus. RBC-Ukraine confirmed the partial resumption of port operations.
