Russia's Ust-Luga port hit by drone attack, causing fire

Russia's vital Ust-Luga port on the Baltic Sea was hit by a drone attack late on January 13, igniting a fire and raising concerns about the security of the nation's energy and commodity exports. The port, a crucial gateway for goods including crude oil, petroleum products, coal, fertilizer, and grain, is a significant asset for Russia's economy.

According to regional governor Alexander Drozdenko, 54 drones were shot down in the region overnight. While he stated the fire at Ust-Luga was extinguished and no personnel were injured, he did not specify which facilities were struck. However, reports from the Kyiv Independent and Reuters, citing sources, indicate that two processing plants belonging to Novatek, Russia's largest independent natural gas producer, sustained damage.

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The attack caused a fire at the Ust-Luga port, but it was extinguished.

Novatek operates three gas processing plants at the port, each with an annual capacity of 3 million tons. This latest attack comes amid a broader Ukrainian strategy to disrupt Russia's commodity export revenues and impact its domestic fuel supply. The Ust-Luga port has been a recurring target, with previous attacks in early July forcing a temporary shutdown of Novatek facilities and halting crude oil shipments.

The strikes on energy and port infrastructure are part of Ukraine's intensified efforts in recent months to weaken the Kremlin's economic power. Earlier this week, attacks on ports in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, including Novorossiysk, also disrupted regional grain exports, highlighting the ongoing conflict's impact on global supply chains.

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The attack damaged two processing plants.