Ukrainian Drone Strike Hits Russian Oil Port of Ust-Luga

A drone strike has been reported at a petroleum installation in the Russian port of Ust-Luga, just one day after a Ukrainian attack damaged infrastructure at the nearby port of Primorsk. Together, the two ports have a combined loading capacity of 1.7 million barrels per day, and they handle most of Russia's Baltic Sea oil exports.

Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko confirmed Tuesday night's attack on Ust-Luga and said that Russian air defenses had shot down 33 drones. Firefighting efforts at the port are under way, and no casualties have been reported, he said.

???? Russia: Ukrainian drones struck the Port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea, 1,000km from Ukraine.
Novatek gas condensate processing complex is on fire.
The port exports 650,000 barrels of oil and 150,000 barrels of gas condensate per day. pic.twitter.com/wxeDDZasAU
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) March 25, 2026

Overnight March 22-23, an even larger barrage of Ukrainian drones swept through the region and targeted the Transneft terminal at Primorsk. Satellite footage of the scene shows effects on multiple storage tanks, and Ukraine's general staff reported hits on oil loading infrastructure as well. Governor Drozdenko confirmed the attack on Primorsk and the tank fire at the terminal.

Operations at Ust-Luga were not interrupted for long after the March 22-23 attack, which centered on Primorsk, but confirmation of the ongoing fire on March 24 suggests that the impact will be more significant this time.

Initial public reports indicate that a drone strike also hit the Russian port of Vyborg, including the local shipyard. One vessel known to be under construction at this yard, the ice-class patrol ship Purga, may have been affected: photos in circulation among open-source intelligence accounts suggest that the brand new vessel has taken on a list.

Looks like future FSB Project 23550 arctic patrol ship Purga (475) leaning over. Note similarities in bridge and radar mast as well as open space for launches further aft. https://t.co/oS7zezDORI pic.twitter.com/rbQvTYu5GW
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) March 25, 2026

Russia depends upon petroleum export revenues to finance its ongoing war in Ukraine, and that has made Russian oil a primary target for Ukrainian defenders. The incentive to strike Russia's energy infrastructure is currently heightened because of spiking global oil prices, a consequence of the conflict in the Arabian Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In a tight market, the U.S. has eased its sanctions on Russian oil that is already afloat - widely perceived as a prelude to increased Russian oil sales writ large. On Tuesday, the European Union also deferred an expected law that would have banned the last imports Russian oil from the bloc; its unveiling has been postponed indefinitely, though the European Commission says that it remains committed to the legislation. In this context of loosening Western restraints on Russian energy, Ukraine has extra motivation to pursue "sanctions" of its own on Russia's oil ports.