Port infrastructure damaged in Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Leningrad Oblast, governor says
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine's military reportedly launched a drone attack on Russia's Leningrad Oblast overnight on Aug. 13, damaging "port infrastructure" in Ust-Luga, regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said.
Ust-Luga is one of Russia's largest ports on the Baltic Sea and home to an oil terminal that serves as a major hub for the export of crude oil and petroleum products. Located west of St Petersburg, far from Ukraine's border, the port plays an important role in generating revenue for the state budget.
Drozdenko said that a fire was burning at the port amid a wide-ranging drone attack on the region. Officials claimed that 51 Ukrainian drones were downed over Leningrad Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the claims nor the target of the attack.
As Kyiv steps up its attack on Russian oil infrastructure, the Ust-Luga port has repeatedly served as a target of attacks in recent months. The Ukrainian military carried out a series of deep strikes against the Ust-Luga port in March and April of this year.
Ukraine has been waging an increasingly successful deep strike campaign against Russian oil infrastructure, striking oil depots, disrupting production at major facilities, and in some cases halting operations indefinitely.
Ukraine's oil infrastructure attacks have mounted pressure on the Kremlin by aggravating a domestic fuel supply crisis that has already caused export bans, price hikes, and sales restrictions across Russia.
Earlier on Aug. 13, the governor of Russia's Orenburg Oblast reported that an oil refinery in the city of Orsk has "completely" halted processing following a recent Ukrainian drone strike on the facility, with repairs expected to keep the facility out of operation for months.
