Ukraine launched a devastating attack on one of Russia's main oil ports

A drone attack launched by Ukraine hit strategic energy facilities in Russia during the night of March 23, causing fires at an oil terminal in Primorsk and in a refinery in Ufa, authorities from both countries confirmed. These events reflect an intensification of attacks on key infrastructures in the context of the war

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The governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, reported that a fuel tank was hit in the port of Primorsk, which sparked a fire. However, reports based on satellite images indicate that the damage could have been greater, with several tanks engulfed in flames and dense plumes of smoke visible over

the complex.

Primorsk, located about 50 kilometers from the border with the European Union (Finland), is the main export port for Russian oil in the Baltic Sea and handles nearly 60 million tons of crude oil per year. After the attack, oil cargo operations were suspended on the night of March 22 and remained interrupted at noon the next day, which could temporarily affect export flows

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The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that the objective of the attack were energy installations considered key to sustaining the Russian war effort. In addition to Primorsk, the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim refinery in Ufa, located about 1,400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, was also hit. According to Kiev, the impact caused a fire at the plant, which has a processing capacity of between 6 and 8 million tons per year.

Ukrainian authorities maintain that these infrastructures play a central role in financing the war, by generating revenues from oil exports. In that sense, they justified the attacks as part of their strategy to weaken Russian operational capacity

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For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that 249 unmanned aircraft were shot down in different regions of the country during the same night, while Drozdenko noted that more than 70 drones were neutralized in the Leningrad region. These figures could not be independently verified

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The attack also had collateral effects on civil aviation. St. Petersburg International Airport temporarily restricted flight operations due to the air threat, causing traffic interruptions. Local media also reported the explosion of an air defense missile near an installation linked to the military industry in the

region.

In the Belgorod region, Russian authorities reported that a drone was intercepted when it was allegedly heading towards the local governor during a meeting with residents. The incident left no victims or material damage, according to official reports

.

These events take place in a context of increasing escalation in attacks on energy infrastructure. In recent months, Russia has intensified its bombing of the Ukrainian energy system, causing massive blackouts during the winter. In response, Ukraine has increased the use of long-range drones to attack strategic installations within Russian territory, expanding the geographical reach of the

conflict.

The magnitude of the damage to the affected facilities is still being evaluated, while operations continue to control fires and restore activity in the impacted energy complexes.