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Drones reportedly target one of Russia's largest sea trade ports in Leningrad Oblast

by Kateryna Hodunova January 4, 2025 2:24 PM 2 min read
Photo for illustration purposes: A Gazprom compression station, the starting point of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, in Ust-Luga, Russia, Jan. 28, 2021. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Drones attacked one of Russia's largest commercial seaport, Ust-Luga, in Leningrad Oblast overnight on Jan. 4, the independent news channel Astra reported.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been regularly targeting facilities in Russia that fuel its war efforts.

Most of the drones that attacked Leningrad Oblast, located over 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) from the Ukrainian border, were shot down over the terminal of Novotrans, a Russian transportation and logistics company, Astra reported, citing its undisclosed sources.

Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported that four drones were downed in Leningrad Oblast using electronic warfare and firearms.

The attack damaged windows in one of the buildings on the port's territory, according to preliminary information. There were no casualties, Drozdenko said.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

The Jan. 4 attack on the Russian port in Leningrad Oblast is not the first attack of its kind. On Jan. 24, 2024, Novatek's gas-condensate plant caught fire at the port of Ust-Luga following a possible coordinated effort by Ukraine to strike key targets deep inside Russian territory.

The Ust-Luga Commercial Seaport began operations in December 2001 with the opening of a coal terminal. In the early 2020s, it became one of the largest seaports in Russia.

Ukraine struck hundreds of targets deep inside Russia in 2024. What did they achieve?
As Russian troops continued to hold an advantage on the ground, Ukraine has been keen to level the power in the air. In 2024, Ukrainian forces bet on drones, hitting targets thousands of kilometers deep inside Russia. Ukrainian attacks have targeted dozens of oil refineries that aid Russia’s war e…

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