Ukrainian Drones Strike Russia’s Ust-Luga Port and Ryazan Refinery

Ukraine struck Russia’s Ust-Luga port with long-range drones overnight, sparking explosions and forcing regional air defenses to intercept nearly 150 unmanned aerial devices, lsm.lv reported.

Leningrad Oblast Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that the port fire broke out because of the drone strike, adding that 92 drones were shot down over his region alone. The port, located in northwest Russia, handles vital oil exports and faces European Union sanctions.

A large fire broke out at the Ryazan oil refinery following an overnight drone strike, according to Apollo.lv. Special Kherson Cat posted on X that the facility ranks among Russia’s five largest refineries, possessing an annual crude processing capacity of 17 million tonnes.

Ryazan Oblast Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the attack, stating that power lines suffered damage and industrial blazes ignited across the site. The plant supplies aviation fuel to the Russian military alongside automotive gasoline and diesel for central regions and Moscow.

Ukrainian drone strikes over the past week disrupted operations and caused emergencies at nine of Russia’s 35 major oil refineries, reducing processing capacity significantly, TVNET reported. Facilities hit since late October lost a combined nominal capacity of roughly 300,000 tonnes, or 2,2 million barrels, per day.

Air defense units in Tver intercepted drones heading toward St. Petersburg, prompting Pulkovo Airport to restrict incoming and outgoing flights while two commercial planes diverted to Helsinki, Finland, according to lsm.lv. Lithuanian authorities separately spotted a suspicious object crossing from Belarus, triggering air alerts across multiple districts that extended into Latvian airspace, where NATO air policing jets and counter-drone units activated.

Ukraine targets export terminals and oil infrastructure to disrupt Russian military logistics and fuel supplies. Lsm.lv noted that Kyiv terms these operations long-range sanctions to impose economic costs on the war.

TVNET reported that actual crude processing volume drops reached up to 200,000 tonnes per day. Affected plants previously processed roughly 700,000 tonnes of crude daily.

Apollo.lv reported that power lines were severed and fires erupted across industrial zones. The facility supplies aviation fuel to the Russian military.

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