Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 25, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 25, 2026
Add as preferred source on Google
A fire erupted at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust‑Luga following a major Ukrainian drone attack on March 25, halting oil exports. No casualties were reported; the attack marks another escalation in Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s energy infrastructure.
MOSCOW, March 25 - A fire broke out at Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, a major oil export hub, after a major Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials said on Wednesday.
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and export routes over recent weeks in an attempt to weaken Russia's war economy.
Ust-Luga and Primorsk, on the Gulf of Finland, were forced to suspend exports of oil and crude on Sunday after drone attacks but they had restarted loadings on Monday, Reuters reported.
But Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the northern Leningrad region, said on Wednesday that a fire had broken out at the port after a Ukrainian drone attack across the region. No casualties were reported.
The extent of the damage to the port was not immediately clear. Unverified video on Russian Telegram channels showed flames leaping into the night sky. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that the terminal had been sealed off and that reservoirs were ablaze.
Russia's defence ministry said that 389 Ukrainian drones had been shot down across Russia overnight, including over the Moscow region.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
The fire was caused by a Ukrainian drone attack on the Ust-Luga oil export hub.
No casualties were reported after the fire at the Ust-Luga port.
Following the drone attacks, both ports were forced to suspend oil and crude exports but resumed loadings the next day.
Russia's defence ministry stated that 389 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across the country.
The extent of the damage to the port was not immediately clear after the incident.
Explore more articles in the Finance category
