Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil terminals in Russia's Leningrad Oblast in third straight night of attacks
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck oil terminals in the port cities of Ust-Luga and Primorsk in Russia's Leningrad Oblast overnight on March 27, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
The reported strikes mark the third straight night of attacks targeting oil facilities in the region.
Ukraine launched a mass overnight attack on March 25, hitting an energy terminal in the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga and a Russian military icebreaker in the port of Vyborg. While on March 26, Ukrainian forces struck the Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis (Kinef) oil refinery in the city of Kirishi, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed.
In the early hours of March 27, local residents reported hearing explosions in the area of the oil terminals, located off the Baltic Sea, as officials warned of a drone attack on the region. Photos and videos posted to social media appear to show flames emanating from the site of the attacks.
Although there was no immediate confirmation as to what was struck in the attack or the extent of the damage caused, preliminary reports indicate that a holding tank storing oil products had detonated in the attack on Ust-Luga.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack.
Ust-Luga is one of Russia’s largest ports on the Baltic Sea and a major hub for exporting crude oil and petroleum products. While Primorsk handles around 60 million tons of oil annually and is Russia's main oil export hub on the Baltic Sea.
The ports, located in the range of approximately 1,000 kilometers north of Ukraine’s closest border, play an important role in generating revenue for the Kremlin's state budget.
Ukrainian forces continue to intensify attacks on Russia's oil industry, even as Moscow has begun to see additional profits from the global supply disruption triggered by the war in Iran.
Reuters reported on March 25 that Ukrainian drone strikes, pipeline damage, and tanker seizures have halted about 40% of Russia's oil export capacity — the worst disruption to oil supply in modern Russian history.
