MOSCOW, March 29 (Reuters) - Russia's Ust-Luga port, one of its largest petroleum export outlets, was damaged on Sunday in a Ukrainian drone attack that sparked a fire, Alexander Drozdenko, the
Russia's Ust-Luga port damaged by more Ukrainian drones, fire under control
Overview of Recent Drone Attacks on Ust-Luga Port
Details of the Latest Attack
MOSCOW, March 29 (Reuters) - Russia's Baltic Ust-Luga port, one of its largest petroleum export hubs, was damaged again on Sunday by a Ukrainian drone attack which sparked a blaze later brought under control, Russian officials said.
Context: Previous Strikes on Russian Energy Infrastructure
It followed several Ukrainian drone strikes last week on Russia’s western energy corridor when facilities at the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk came under fire, igniting storage tanks and forcing a suspension of oil and oil product loadings.
Response and Firefighting Efforts
The regional governor of Leningrad said firefighters had brought the fire at the port and nearby sites on Sunday under control.
Ukrainian Statement on the Attack
Ukraine's SBU security agency said long-range drones struck an oil terminal at Ust-Luga. It added in a statement that the strike caused "serious damage" and a fire at the port.
Impact on Oil Supply and Market
The recent attacks have caused severe oil supply disruption for Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter, and have come just as oil prices exceeded $100 a barrel due to the Iran war.
Firefighting Resources Deployed
"Additional firefighting resources from the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg, including two fire trains, have been involved in extinguishing the fire at the port," Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko wrote on Telegram on Sunday.
Damage to Nearby Residences
A residence had been damaged in a nearby settlement, he said.
Ongoing Threats and Port Operations
Drozdenko had earlier in the day said waves of Ukrainian drones had hit the area.
The port, operated by Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft, handles around 700,000 barrels per day of oil exports, and, according to sources, shipped 32.9 million metric tons of oil products in 2025.
Verification and Reporting
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the scale of the damage.
(Reporting by Reuters. Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Potter, Ron Popeski and Susan Fenton)
