Just When Kremlin Thought It Was Winning From Iran War, 40% of Russia's Oil Export Capacity Lost to Drone Attacks

Just when the Kremlin was laughing at how US and Israeli attacks on Iran had driven up oil prices to Russia's benefit, Ukrainian drone attacks wiped out that advantage. 

40% of Russian oil export capacity has been taken off line by the attacks, disrupting its ability to generate revenues and reducing its oil industry to the lowest level in modern Russian history. The result is that Russia's economic crisis is back, even as oil remains at over $100 a barrel. JL

Andrii Muravskyi reports in Ukraine Pravda:

40% of Russia's oil export capacity is at a halt as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks, the seizure of tankers and damage to the Druzhba pipeline. The disruption amounts to two million barrels per day. It includes the ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga as well as the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. All three of Russia's main western oil export ports have been damaged – Novorossiysk on the Black Sea and Primorsk and Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea. "The shutdown is the most severe oil supply disruption in the modern history of Russia, the world's second largest oil exporter, and has hit Moscow just as oil prices exceeded $100 a barrel due to the Iran war,"

40% of Russia's oil export capacity is at a halt as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks, the seizure of tankers and damage to the Druzhba pipeline.

Source: Reuters

Details: The disruption amounts to roughly two million barrels per day. It includes the ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga as well as the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.

The agency based its estimates on market data.

"The shutdown is the most severe oil supply disruption in the modern history of Russia, the world's second largest oil exporter, and has hit Moscow just as oil prices exceeded $100 a barrel due to the Iran war," Reuters said.

Reuters also noted that this month, Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russia's oil and fuel export infrastructure. All three of Russia's main western oil export ports have been damaged – Novorossiysk on the Black Sea and Primorsk and Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea.

The oil terminal in Novorossiysk is loading crude at volumes below planned levels. Its usual capacity is up to 700,000 barrels per day.

Frequent detentions of tankers from Russia's shadow fleet in Europe have also contributed to disruptions in oil supplies.

Ust-Luga, Russia's main oil export port on the Baltic Sea, suspended shipments of oil and petroleum products after a Ukrainian drone attack.

Russia continues to supply oil via pipelines to China and through the port of Kozmino. Together, these routes account for exports of around 1.9 million barrels per day.

Background:

• On the night of 25-26 March, drones attacked Russia's Leningrad Oblast, where the Kirishi Refinery is located.
• The refinery was also attacked on 8 March 2025. At the time, the governor of Leningrad Oblast said that falling debris had damaged the external structure of one of the facility's storage tanks.
• In addition, on the night of 24-25 March, Leningrad Oblast came under a large-scale drone attack that caused a fire at the Ust-Luga port.