Ukraine Drone Strikes Hit Russia’s Primorsk Port, Disrupt Major Oil Exports
Overview of Recent Drone Attacks and Their Impact
Attack on Primorsk Port
MOSCOW, May 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian drones attacked Russia's Baltic Sea port of Primorsk on Sunday, temporarily setting it on fire, local governor Alexander Drozdenko said on the Telegram messaging app, as Kyiv launched a wave of strikes on targets across the country.
Drozdenko said more than 60 drones were downed overnight over Russia's northwestern Leningrad region. There was no oil spill following the attack on Primorsk, a major oil exporting outlet, and the fire was extinguished, he added.
Significance of Primorsk Port
Primorsk, one of Russia's largest export gateways, has capacity to handle 1 million barrels per day of oil supply. It has been hit multiple times in recent months as Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and other targets as U.S.-brokered talks to end the Ukraine war have stalled.
Other Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Assets
Attack on Shadow Fleet Tankers
Ukrainian forces also struck two shadow fleet tankers in waters at the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.
Zelenskiy's Statement
"These tankers had been actively used to transport oil – not anymore," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. "Ukraine's long-range capabilities will continue to be developed comprehensively – at sea, in the air, and on land."
Additional Drone Attacks Across Russia
Other Russian regions also reported drone attacks on Saturday and Sunday.
Incidents in Moscow and Smolensk Regions
Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Saturday evening that a 77-year-old man had died in a village following a drone strike. And Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the city of Moscow, said four drones were downed on their way to the Russian capital.
Vasily Anokhin, the governor of the western Smolensk region, said three people, including a child, were injured on Sunday after a drone attacked an apartment block there.
Developments in Eastern Ukraine
Russian troops were, meanwhile, inching towards the city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine's top army official said on Saturday.
Reporting and Sources
(Reporting by Reuters; Additional reporting by Olena Harmash in Kyiv; Editing by Joe Bavier)
