Satellite imagery and verified footage indicate that Ukraine has carried out repeated strikes on critical oil export infrastructure in Russia’s Leningrad region over the past week, leaving major facilities ablaze for several days.
Analysis confirms that at least three oil sites near Saint Petersburg approximately 500 miles (800km) from the Ukrainian border were targeted between March 23 and 28. These include the Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, as well as the inland Kirishi oil refinery.
Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air shows the strategic importance of the affected sites, with 22% of Russia’s oil exports in 2025 shipped from Primorsk and 20% from Ust-Luga.
Recent shipping data reveals that no oil tankers were loaded at any of Russia’s three Baltic ports on March 26 and 27 marking the first such two-day halt since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Satellite images captured on March 24 show massive plumes of smoke rising from Primorsk, while additional imagery from March 27 reveals fires at Ust-Luga and significant structural damage at Kirishi. Analysis indicates:
- Primorsk: at least eight storage tanks destroyed or damaged
- Ust-Luga: at least eight storage tanks destroyed or damaged
- Kirishi: at least two storage tanks damaged
Thermal data from NASA’s FIRMS system confirmed ongoing fires, with heat signatures still detected at Primorsk early Monday and at Ust-Luga later that day. Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said the fires had been contained by Sunday and reported no casualties.
Verified videos also show the aftermath of the strikes, including towering smoke columns over Primorsk and damaged infrastructure across all three sites.
Ukraine’s drone force commander Robert Brovdi said the coordinated operation targeted Russia’s “oil arteries, refining capacity and crude export infrastructure” over a five-day period.
Ukraine’s military described the Kirishi refinery as one of Russia’s three largest oil-processing plants, producing fuel that supports the country’s armed forces.
According to estimates cited by Reuters, up to 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity was temporarily disrupted on March 25 following the initial wave of attacks.
Despite the disruption, analysis suggests Russia earned approximately £7.1 billion from oil exports in the final three weeks of March, as global prices surged amid broader geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Volodymyr Zelensky said allies had urged Kyiv to scale back attacks on Russian energy infrastructure due to the global energy crisis, adding that such strikes would only cease if Russia stopped targeting Ukraine’s own energy systems.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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