Ukraine launched dozens of drones at the oil loading port of Primorsk in Russia’s northwest on Sunday, sparking a fire, the local governor said.
Primorsk, on the Baltic Sea, is one of Russia’s largest export hubs, with the capacity to handle one million barrels of oil a day.
Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the fire had been extinguished and that no oil spill had been reported following the attack. He also said more than 60 drones had been shot down over the region.
The independent outlet Astra cited satellite system were likely hit.
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months in a bid to harm the Russian economy and disrupt fuel supplies to Russian forces.
Kyiv targets Russia’s ‘shadow’ tankers
Ukraine also hit two shadow fleet tankers near the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday. The so-called shadow tankers are aging vessels used to ship Russia’s sanctioned oil around the world.
“These tankers had been actively used to transport oil — not anymore,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Daily drone attacks continue
Ukraine fired 334 drones at Russia overnight, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said, while Kyiv’s air force said Russia fired 268 drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine.
A man was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack near Moscow, the regional governor said.
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Meanwhile, attacks in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, home to key export terminals, killed two people, regional Governor Oleg Kiper said.
“Facilities and equipment for the port infrastructure were also damaged,” he said.
A third person was killed in a Russian strike in the frontline region of Kherson in southern Ukraine, according to officials.
Russia and Ukraine have traded daily drone barrages for most of the war, as US-mediated talks to end the fighting have stalled.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
