Ukraine launched dozens of drones at the Primorsk oil-loading port in Russia’s northwest on Sunday, sparking a fire, the regional governor said. Primorsk on the Baltic Sea is one of Russia’s largest export hubs, with the capacity to handle about one million barrels of oil a day.
Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko wrote on Telegram that the blaze had been extinguished and no oil spill was reported. He added that more than 60 drones had been shot down over the region. The independent outlet Astra, citing satellite-image analysis, said the oil terminal and a Pantsir air-defense system were likely struck.
In other strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said two so-called “shadow” tankers near the entrance to the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk had been hit. These aging vessels have been used to move sanctioned Russian oil. “These tankers had been actively used to transport oil — not anymore,” Zelenskyy wrote. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine fired 334 drones overnight, while Ukraine’s air force reported Russia had launched 268 drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine. A man was killed in a drone attack near Moscow, regional authorities said.
Attacks in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, home to key export terminals, killed two people and damaged port facilities and equipment, Governor Oleg Kiper said. A third person was killed in a Russian strike in the frontline Kherson region.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged daily drone barrages for much of the war as US-mediated talks to end the fighting have stalled.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
