Ukrainian drone strikes have forced the suspension of crude oil and oil product loadings at Russia’s key Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, marking one of the largest attacks on the country’s export facilities in the four-year conflict. A blaze at Ust-Luga, visible from Finland, has severely disrupted operations at terminals critical to Russia’s energy trade.
The attacks, which occurred on March 25, targeted infrastructure vital to Russia’s economy, with Ust-Luga’s oil loading stands and tank park sustaining damage. Ukraine’s SBU security service confirmed the strikes hit their intended targets, aiming to cut foreign currency revenues flowing into Russia’s budget. Primorsk, capable of exporting over 1 million barrels of crude oil daily, and Ust-Luga, which shipped 32.9 million metric tons of oil products last year, had briefly resumed loadings after earlier attacks on Sunday but were forced to halt again.
Plumes of black smoke rose high over Ust-Luga, with unverified videos circulating online showing the scale of the fire. A source familiar with the situation described reservoirs ablaze and the terminal sealed off, though no casualties were reported. The impact extended beyond Russia’s borders, as stray drones landed in Latvia and Estonia, with one striking an Estonian power station without causing damage.
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Heikki Autto, a Finnish Parliament member and chairman of its defense committee, witnessed a massive pillar of smoke from the direction of Primorsk while landing at Helsinki Airport on March 24. “It is dramatic that the hostilities come so close, even if Finland’s own security situation has not changed,” he said.
Russia’s defense ministry reported intercepting 389 Ukrainian drones overnight across the country, including over the Moscow region. The sustained campaign against oil infrastructure reflects Ukraine’s strategy to weaken Russia’s war economy as peace talks, brokered by Washington, remain stalled.
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