Russia said on Wednesday that a Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire at a major port in the country’s northwest, following a barrage involving nearly 400 drones launched overnight.
The incident came a day after Russia carried out one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine since the start of the war.
According to Russia’s defence ministry, air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 389 Ukrainian drones, most of them in regions bordering Ukraine as well as around Moscow.
The attack reportedly sparked a fire at the Baltic port of Port of Ust-Luga, a major oil exporting terminal located on the Gulf of Finland near Russia’s border with Estonia.
Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said the blaze at the port was “being brought under control,” adding that no casualties had been reported.
However, he did not specify which section of the facility was affected. The port serves as a key hub for Russia’s exports of fertilisers, oil, and coal.
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces later claimed responsibility for the strike, saying that oil loading and unloading facilities at the port had been targeted.
The drone barrage followed a major wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine earlier in the week. Beginning late Monday, Russia launched nearly 1,000 drones over a 24-hour period, killing at least eight people and damaging multiple sites.
The strikes hit the historic centre of Lviv Historic Centre and residential buildings in western Ukraine during Tuesday’s evening rush hour.
Responding to the attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s actions, describing them as “absolute depravity” and vowing retaliation.
The escalation also had spillover effects beyond the immediate conflict zone. Officials said a power plant in Estonia was struck by a drone that entered the NATO member’s airspace from Russia.
Another drone reportedly crashed in Latvia, with authorities suggesting both drones were likely Ukrainian aircraft that had gone off course.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian forces also struck another major Baltic Sea port in Russia — Port of Primorsk — causing a large fire that produced thick black smoke visible in satellite imagery.
The latest exchanges highlight the intensifying drone warfare between the two sides as the conflict continues to expand in scale and geographic impact.
