MOSCOW, March 25 - A fire broke out at Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, a major oil export hub, after a major Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials said on Wednesday. Ukraine has stepped up
Russia's Baltic ports halt oil loadings after heavy Ukrainian drone attack, sources say
Impact and Details of the Drone Attacks on Russian Baltic Ports
March 25 (Reuters) - Russia's Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, major export terminals, suspended crude oil and oil products loadings on Wednesday, two sources told Reuters, after massive Ukrainian drone attacks sparked blazes, with smoke visible from Finland.
The drone attacks on the Baltic ports amount to one of the largest strikes to date against Russia's oil export facilities in the four-year war, and are likely to add to uncertainty on the global oil markets caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
Regional Impact and International Response
At around the same time that Ust-Luga was hit early on Wednesday, two stray Ukrainian drones landed in neighbouring Latvia and Estonia, including one that hit an Estonian power station without causing damage.
Smoke Seen from Finland
Russian officials said fire had broken out at Ust-Luga after a Ukrainian drone attack. Primorsk, across the Gulf of Finland to the north of Ust-Luga, has also been attacked in recent days.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that Ust-Luga had been sealed off and that reservoirs were ablaze. No casualties were reported.
Huge plumes of black smoke billowed far into the sky on Wednesday, according to unverified videos posted on Telegram.
Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District director Jukka-Pekka Lumilahti told Reuters that the Primorsk fire had not been fully extinguished.
"It is still burning there pretty much just as it was at the start," he said. "These are indeed massive fires, and there is a massive amount of smoke."
He also said there was currently no oil leakage from the attacks.
Heikki Autto, a member of the Finnish Parliament and chairman of its defence committee, told Reuters he saw a massive pillar of black smoke rise from the direction of Primorsk port as he landed at the Helsinki Airport in Finland on Tuesday.
"It is dramatic that the hostilities come so close, even if Finland's own security situation has not changed," he said, adding that the European Union should have inflicted stricter sanctions to stop Russian oil exports without Ukrainian drones doing it.
Ukraine's Strategy and Economic Impact
Ukraine Tries to Weaken Russia's Economy
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and export routes over recent weeks in an attempt to weaken Russia's war economy and as the peace talks, brokered by Washington, have stalled.
Ukraine's SBU security service said its drones "successfully struck their targets" in Ust-Luga.
Damage to Oil Infrastructure
"The attack damaged oil loading stands as well as a tank park containing crude oil and petroleum products," it said, adding that such strikes served to reduce foreign currency revenues to the Russian Federation's budget.
Ust-Luga and Primorsk were also forced to suspend exports of oil and crude several days ago after drone attacks but they had tentatively restarted loadings on Monday, Reuters reported.
Primorsk, which is able to export more than 1 million barrels of crude oil per day, is a major outlet for Russia's flagship Urals crude and high-quality diesel.
According to sources, Ust-Luga exported 32.9 million metric tons of oil products last year, and Primorsk 16.8 million tons.
Russian Response and Ongoing Security Concerns
Russia's defence ministry said that 389 Ukrainian drones had been shot down across Russia overnight, including over the Moscow region.
(Reporting by Reuters; additional reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki and Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, William Maclean and Aidan Lewis)
