Kathrine Frich
Energy infrastructure has become a growing target in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Recent attacks suggest Kyiv is increasingly focusing on disrupting Moscow’s economic lifelines.
A new strike on the Baltic coast is now raising concerns over Russia’s export capacity.
Ports under attack
Ukrainian drones struck the Russian port of Ust-Luga overnight, causing a fire at one of the country’s largest oil export hubs, according to Reuters and Onet News.
The port handles around 700,000 barrels of oil per day.
The blaze spread to infrastructure used for oil products, coal and fertilizers.
Smoke across border
According to Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat, smoke from the fire was visible from the Finnish coastline.
The port complex includes dozens of fuel tanks and extensive storage facilities.
Reports suggest the fire could be seen across large parts of the Gulf of Finland.
Operations have also been halted at Primorsk, Russia’s biggest Baltic oil port.
The facility, which can handle up to one million barrels per day, was hit in a separate drone attack days earlier.
Although both ports briefly resumed activity, full operations have not yet been restored.
Export impact
Analysts estimate that up to 40% of Russia’s oil export processing capacity is currently affected.
This could amount to disruptions of roughly two million barrels per day.
Other facilities, including the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, are also facing delays.
The disruption has caused a buildup of tankers waiting to load cargo.
Shipping data shows dozens of vessels are currently stalled in the Gulf of Finland.
Many are awaiting access to Primorsk and Ust-Luga.
Click to display external content from twitter,
– You can always enable and disable third-party content.
You agree to display external third-party content. Personal data may be sent to the provider of the content and other third-party services.
Sources: Onet News, Reuters, Helsingin Sanomat
