Huge fires at Russian oil facilities after Ukraine strikes

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - KYIV — Ukrainian drones have struck ⁠Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga for the fifth time in 10 days, as Kyiv continues to step up attacks on Russia’s oil export infrastructure.
Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Tuesday that three people, including two children, were treated for injuries and several buildings were damaged in the overnight attacks.
Ust-Luga, on the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, is a sprawling ⁠complex of oil-processing facilities and export terminals handling crude ⁠oil and oil products.
Satellite imagery and verified videos show Ukraine has repeatedly struck key Russian oil export infrastructure near the Baltic Sea in the past week, leaving some facilities burning for several days.
At least three oil sites in Russia's Leningrad region have been attacked since 23 March, including the ports of and Ust-Luga and Primorsk - and the inland Kirishi oil refinery.
On Tuesday, Ukraine drone forces commander Robert Brovdi said Ust-Luga had been struck again on Monday night "to keep the fire going".
According to analysis by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea) 20% of Russia's total oil exports departed from Ust-Luga and 22% from Primorsk.
Recent data shows no ships were loaded with oil in any of Russia's three Baltic ports on 26 and 27 March, which Crea said is the first period of two consecutive days with no such activity since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Satellite images show enormous plumes of smoke rising from burning oil facilities in Primorsk on 24 March, as well as fires at Ust-Luga and extensive damage to Kirishi on 27 March.
Nasa's satellite resource FIRMS, used to detect heat signatures on the Earth's surface, indicates Primorsk was still burning as of 02:54 BST on Monday and at Ust-Luga at 12:28 on Monday.
Brovdi had previously said an operation targeting these three Baltic oil facilities began on 23 March, saying the strikes were aimed at "demilitarising Russia's oil arteries, refining capacity and crude export infrastructure".
Ukraine's military has said the Kirishi refinery is among the three largest oil‑processing plants in Russia, including the production of "fuels that support the armed forces of the aggressor state".
At least 40% of Russia's oil export capacity was halted on 25 March following the first attacks, according to calculations by the Reuters news agency based on market data.
According to Crea's analysis, Russia earned about £7.1bn from oil exports in the final three weeks of March, as prices rose sharply due to disruption caused by the US-Israel war with Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that allies have asked Kyiv to reduce attacks on Russia's energy sector because of the global energy crisis. He added they would only end if Russia stopped targeting Ukraine's energy system. — Agencies