Ukraine launched dozens of drones at the oil loading port of Primorsk in Russia’s northwest on Sunday, causing a fire, the local governor said.
Primorsk, located on the Baltic Sea, is one of Russia’s largest export hubs, with the capacity to handle one million barrels of oil per day.
Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the fire had been extinguished and no oil spills had been reported following the attack. He also said that more than 60 drones have been shot down in the area.
Independent outlet Astra cited satellite image analysis and said the oil terminal and the Pantsir air defense system were likely affected.
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months in a bid to damage the Russian economy and disrupt fuel supplies to Russian forces.
Kiev targets Russia’s ‘shadow’ tankers
Ukraine also targeted two shadow fleet tankers near the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. So-called shadow tankers are older ships used to ship Russian-sanctioned oil around the world.
“These tankers used to be actively used to transport oil – not anymore,” Zelensky said on social media.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Drone attacks continue daily
Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine fired 334 drones at Russia overnight, while Kiev’s air force said Russia fired 268 drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine.
A Ukrainian drone strike near Moscow killed one person, the regional governor said.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s southern Odessa region, home to major export terminals, attacks killed two people, regional governor Oleg Kiper said.
“Port infrastructure facilities and equipment were also damaged,” he said.
A third person was killed in a Russian strike in the border region of Kherson in southern Ukraine, according to officials.
Russia and Ukraine have traded daily drone barrages during most of the war, as US-brokered talks to end the fighting remain stalled.
Edited by: Louis Olofse