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Video: Ukrainian Strike Causes Major Fire at Russian Oil Port of Ust-Luga

Infrared signatures spread out over the terminal complex and the water, consistent with a large petroleum fire (NASA FIRMS, Nov. 11)
Infrared signatures spread out over the terminal complex and the water, consistent with a large petroleum fire (NASA FIRMS, Nov. 11)

By The Maritime Executive 2026-11-10 23:45:00

Russian officials have confirmed a major drone strike on the Baltic oil port of Ust-Luga, west of St. Petersburg. It has been hit many times by Ukrainian forces in the past, and the attack overnight Tuesday appears to have caused a large-scale fire at the facility - so large that it was visible from neighboring Estonia. 

The St. Petersburg region's governor, Aleksandr Drozdenko, confirmed the attack in a statement on Russian social media. Three workers were injured in the attack, Drozdenko said, and he claimed that 150 drones had been shot down. The regional airport was also temporarily shuttered as a safety precaution.  

Ust-Luga is a key export facility for Russia, handling about 700,000 barrels per day of petroleum. Together with the nearby Primorsk terminal, it handles the majority of Russian Baltic oil exports. Russia's grain exporters have also begun to use the Baltic port as a backup option after Ukraine’s repeated attacks on Russian grain shipping in the Black Sea.  

The facility was hit earlier this year, in actions in September and March. The March campaign included a relentless series of raids running for five nights in a row, causing undisclosed damage. 

Ukraine has systematically targeted Russian petroleum infrastructure for more than a year, with a focus on oil loading ports and refineries. Over the course of last weekend, Ukrainain drones hit and damaged the Kirishi refinery near St. Petersburg, the second-largest in Russia.