News Feed

Russian governor: Russian natural gas seaport terminal catches fire

1 min read
Russian governor: Russian natural gas seaport terminal catches fire
A photo of the fire at the Russian Novatek natural gas company in Russia's Leningrad region on Jan. 21, 2024. (Russian Governor Alexander Drozdenko)

The terminal of the Russian Novatek natural gas company caught on fire in the port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko announced on Telegram. Novatek is the largest independent natural gas producer in Russia.

The governor stated that no casualties have been reported but other Russian media sources suggested that 150 people were evacuated. A high-alert regime was introduced in the Kingiseppsky district. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Novatek is Russia's largest producer of liquified natural gas. The U.S. introduced sanctions against one of Novatek's major production entities, the Arctic LNG-2 (liquified natural gas) project, for which it has a 60% share.

Reuters reported last month that Novatek itself issued force majeure declarations to multiple clients after the U.S. imposed sanctions against Russian LNG in November 2023.

Businesses may declare force majeure if they cannot supply promised goods or services due to circumstances beyond their control.

Earlier this month, a huge fire broke out at a warehouse in St. Petersburg belonging to one of Russia's biggest online stores, Wildberries, affecting at least 70,000 square meters of the property.

News Feed

During a meeting with Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal on July 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the need to take additional "more decisive" steps to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure and emphasized the importance of robust winter preparedness plans for communities and regions.

 (Updated:  )

Yulia Svyrydenko, who replaced former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in July 2025, will now take on a new role leading cooperation with Ukraine’s key partners, Zelensky announced on social media.

Video

Once promoted by the Kremlin as a symbol of Russia’s resurgence and a premier tourist destination, the peninsula now faces mounting pressure from Ukrainian drone strikes targeting military infrastructure, logistics, and supply routes.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 11 that he is preparing changes to Ukraine’s “diplomatic efforts” to accelerate weapons deliveries from allies, as Ukraine's stockpile of Patriot air defense missiles has run dry.

Show More