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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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A fire broke out at a major Baltic Sea energy export hub after Ukrainian drones targeted the site in Russia's western Leningrad region, the regional governor has said.
The blaze at an unspecified area of the Ust-Luga port "is being contained," Alexander Drozdenko wrote on the messaging app Telegram early Wednesday. No one was reported injured.
Ukraine has vowed to continue targeting Moscow's oil and gas facilities that provide vital funds for its war effort against Kyiv, but has not publicly claimed responsibility for the latest attack. Ukraine's military said it had attacked the Ust-Luga port area in August 2025.
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Disruption to Russian exports will likely further unsettle global fuel markets and worsen concerns over oil and gas shortages caused by nearly four weeks of war in the Middle East, although many Western nations have moved away from Russian supplies since its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia ships crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) out to the Baltic Sea through Ust-Luga, which also handles general cargo and other exports propping up Russia's economy.
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About 450,000 barrels of crude oil passed through Ust-Luga each day last month, Bloomberg reported. Roughly 700,000 barrels can travel through the port daily when it operates at full capacity, according to estimates, accounting for more than a third of Russia's oil tanker exports westward.
Ust-Luga sits near the border with NATO member Estonia. Officials in Tallinn said a drone that struck a power plant on Wednesday near the Russian border, just southwest of Ust-Luga, had likely crashed in the country accidentally.
Unverified footage circulated by Ukrainian and Russian sources on Wednesday appear to show a blaze at an industrial site, with smoke billowing into the night sky. Newsweek could not independently verify the clips.
Russian authorities suspended some operations at Ust-Luga and Primorsk, another crucial Baltic export hub, on Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported, citing two unnamed sources.
Ukraine's military said it had struck Primorsk and another oil refinery east of Moscow early on Monday. A fire broke at Primorsk, which sees roughly 60 million tons of oil each year, Kyiv said.
A total of 56 Ukrainian drones were "destroyed" over the region overnight, Drozdenko said. Russia's Defense Ministry separately said it had intercepted nearly 400 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions, as well as Crimea, which it annexed from Kyiv in 2014.
Update 3/25/2026 at 7 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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