Drone strike starts fire at Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga

A fire broke out at Russia's Ust-Luga port on the Baltic Sea after a Ukrainian drone strike, the Leningrad regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said in a Telegram post Nov. 11.

"Several drones" hit the site, he said.

Astra news reported a fire at Novatek's gas condensate processing complex in Ust-Luga, as well as at several more locations.

Novatek was not available to comment.

Later, the Ukrainian military confirmed in a Telegram post the Ust-Luga port attack. It said that based on preliminary information, the tank farm at the port's oil infrastructure incurred "the most significant damage," adding that five tanks containing oil products with total capacity of 150,000 cubic meters have been damaged.

It also said that a production facilities were hit with a hydrocracker catching fire, without specifying the facility.

The Novatek condensate splitter includes a hydrocracker which was commissioned in June 2023.

Ukraine has been targeting Russian energy infrastructure, with the Ust-Luga attack coming on the heels of strikes on the Saratov refinery Nov. 7 and the Kirishi refinery Nov. 9.

Russian oil deliveries via Ust-Luga have averaged 562,000 barrels/day in 2026, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea data.

Russian refined product exports from the port have averaged around 216,000 b/d in 2026, CAS data showed.

Ust-Luga port was last attacked Sept. 1. The Ukrainian military said at the time that the Novatek facility was damaged as a result of the strikes and had been been halted. It subsequently restarted operations, according to sources.