Kremlin Unable To Protect Crucial Baltic Oil Export Terminals, Hit 4 Times In 5 Days

Ukrainian drones and missiles have hit Russia's crucial - and largest - oil export terminals in the Baltic for four of the last five nights. Significant damage, including fires which have yet to be extinguished, have been confirmed by satellite imagery. 

The Ukrainian attacks not only further weaken Russia's export economic lifeline, but demonstrate that the Kremlin is incapable of protecting crucial energy infrastructure even as far away from the frontline as St Petersburg. JL

New Voice of Ukraine:

Ukrainian forces continued a series of long-range strikes on Russian facilities in the Baltic Sea overnight, marking the fourth attack on the aggressor’s oil infrastructure in five days. Satellite images show a large fire engulfing several oil storage tanks and producing black smoke at the Primorsk terminal and Ust-Luga port in Leningrad oblast. These are Russia’s largest export hubs on the Baltic Sea.  Russian milbloggers acknowledged prolonged Ukrainian strikes demonstrate significant vulnerability in Russian air defenses and sharply criticized Moscow for failing to develop air defenses capable of protecting oil infrastructure.

Ukrainian Defense Forces continued a series of long-range strikes on Russian facilities in the Baltic Sea overnight into March 27, marking the fourth attack on the aggressor’s oil infrastructure in five days, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.

Published satellite images show large-scale fires that broke out after strikes on the Primorsk oil terminal and Ust-Luga port in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast.

New Ukrainian strikes on Russian facilities in the Baltic Sea were confirmed by sources in several media outlets and by Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko also reported drone strikes on the region but did not specify the fallout. 

Satellite images from Vantor dated March 27 show a large fire engulfing several oil storage tanks and producing black smoke at the Ust-Luga terminal, ISW reported.

Photo: ISW

Additional Planet Labs satellite images show a large plume of smoke at the Primorsk oil depot on March 27.

Photo: ISW

Ukrainian forces also struck the Kirishi oil refinery in Leningrad Oblast, as confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff. Two units for processing crude oil were damaged, along with facilities for producing petroleum bitumen, hydrotreating units and gas fractionation units.

Russian milbloggers on March 27 acknowledged that prolonged Ukrainian strikes on Ust-Luga demonstrate significant vulnerability in Russian air defense. ISW noted that one Russian blogger sharply criticized Moscow for failing to develop air defenses capable of protecting oil infrastructure.

Read also:

Russia’s Primorsk oil terminal still on fire four days later, satellite photos show

Attacks on oil terminals in Leningrad Oblast were reported starting March 23, when Russia had to temporarily halt transshipment of crude oil and petroleum products at the Primorsk and Ust-Luga ports. These are Russia’s largest export hubs on the Baltic Sea.

Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces Lt. Gen. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi confirmed that Ukrainian drones struck the Ust-Luga oil port in Leningrad Oblast.

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Ust-Luga oil berth destroyed after drone strikes, satellite imagery shows

On March 27, large fires were reported in Ust-Luga and Primorsk. Satellite images captured damage to piers.