Firefighters were battling a blaze on Friday at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, a major hub for energy exports, after a fire broke out following a drone attack, Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said.
More than 50 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region, Drozdenko said in a post on Telegram, as Russian authorities worked to repel the attack around Ust-Luga, a key export center for crude oil and petroleum products.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
The attack comes as Ukraine continues targeting Russian oil processing and export infrastructure, as well as grain shipping routes, as part of efforts to reduce Moscow’s revenues and increase pressure on the Kremlin to end the war.
The latest incident also raised concerns beyond Russia’s borders. Latvia’s armed forces said fighter jets shot down a drone that had entered the country’s airspace on Friday. Finland, meanwhile, temporarily restricted access to parts of the Baltic Sea as a precaution amid the threat of drone attacks.
Ukraine has targeted more than a dozen major Russian oil refineries, in some cases repeatedly. The strikes have contributed to disruptions in Russia’s domestic fuel market, with the country facing a widespread fuel supply crisis.
In Moscow, authorities also reported a wave of overnight drone attacks. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than a dozen drones heading toward the Russian capital were intercepted and destroyed.
Moscow is home to another major oil processing facility, underscoring the continued focus of Ukrainian drone operations on Russia’s energy infrastructure.
