Ukraine Deals Major Blow to Russia’s Baltic Oil Lifeline

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Mfame Editor
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Ukraine has struck Russia’s largest oil terminal on the Baltic Sea, forcing the suspension of loadings at the Primorsk port for the first time since the war began, reports Marine Insight.

First-ever strike on Russia’s Baltic oil giant

The overnight drone assault, described as one of Kyiv’s biggest aerial operations in months, set fire to vessels and a pumping station, disrupting crude and diesel exports from Russia’s key western hub.

According to industry sources and Ukraine’s security services, the attack temporarily halted loading operations at Primorsk, which has the capacity to handle around 1 million barrels of crude per day and an additional 300,000 barrels of diesel.

The port is part of the Baltic Pipeline System and is central to Russia’s maritime oil trade, including the so-called “shadow fleet” of older tankers used to bypass international sanctions.

Two oil tankers were damaged in the strike, Kusto and Cai Yun, both Aframax class with a capacity of about 700,000 barrels each. Public databases show both ships are registered in the Seychelles, with Kusto owned and managed by Solstice Corp and Cai Yun operated by Acceronix Ltd.

Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that a drone hit one vessel and a pumping station in Primorsk. He later stated that the fire had been extinguished, there was no risk of an oil spill, and more than 30 drones had been shot down in the area.

The Russian defence ministry reported that 221 Ukrainian drones were launched across the country overnight, with more than half intercepted over the Bryansk and Smolensk regions. Officials also said 28 drones were downed in the Leningrad region.

Ukraine’s security services said drones struck several pumping stations feeding the nearby Ust-Luga terminal, which is still operating at half capacity after a previous August drone strike.

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom confirmed that a drone had hit a power unit at the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant near the Belarus border, though no casualties or leaks were reported.

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Source: Marine Insight