Ukrainian drones hit Primorsk, Russia's largest Baltic oil export facility, and two alleged sanctions-violating tankers in overnight strikes Sunday.
4:51 PM
Ukrainian drones launched a wave of strikes against Russian oil infrastructure Sunday, targeting a key loading port on the Baltic Sea and two tankers that Ukraine alleged were used to illegally transport Russian crude oil in violation of sanctions.
A nighttime drone strike sparked a blaze at Russia's largest oil exporting port on the Baltic Sea, the port of Primorsk, according to Russian regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko. The port, operated by Russia's state oil firm Transneft, is capable of handling hundreds of thousands of barrels per day. Primorsk lies over 620 miles from Ukraine, positioned between the Russian-Finnish border and Russia's second-largest city of St. Petersburg.
The port had been targeted multiple times in March prior to Sunday's strike. Drozdenko said the drone strike did not cause an oil spill but provided no immediate further comment regarding casualties or damage.
Ukrainian drones also hit port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region, causing a fire that was later extinguished by emergency teams, according to the Ukrainian emergency service. Ukrainian emergency crews responded to fires in the region following the overnight strikes.
The strikes represent part of a broader Ukrainian campaign focused on Russian oil assets in recent weeks. Ukrainian drones have been striking Russian oil tankers with increasing frequency as Ukraine seeks to diminish Russia's ability to export oil. The two tankers targeted Sunday were among vessels that Ukraine alleged were part of Russia's "shadow fleet"—ships used to circumvent international sanctions on Russian crude oil exports.
The operation occurred as Moscow conducted strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine, including in the Odesa region where houses were damaged by Russian drone strikes.
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