Ukraine has escalated its campaign against Russia’s oil and logistics infrastructure, striking both the Ust-Luga terminal on the Baltic and the Syzran refinery in the Samara region on Sunday night.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Special Operations Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out coordinated drone strikes on the port of Ust-Luga — one of Russia’s most critical export gateways on the Baltic Sea. The facility, used to ship gas condensate and crude oil, plays a key role in Russia’s sanctions-busting shadow fleet operations. Fire was reported at the Novatek-operated terminal after debris from downed drones hit storage facilities.
The simultaneous strike on the Syzran refinery, with a design capacity of 8.5m tonnes per year, also caused fires and detonations, according to Ukrainian officials. The refinery, responsible for around 3% of Russia’s refining capacity, produces gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene and other fuels for the Russian armed forces.
The August 24 attacks form part of an intensifying Ukrainian campaign aimed at degrading Russia’s ability to finance and fuel its war machine. Recent weeks have seen repeated drone strikes against refineries, oil terminals, and logistics hubs. The Novoshakhtinsky refinery in the Rostov region has been burning for several days after an August 21 hit, while the Olya port in Astrakhan has been shut for more than a week following another drone strike on August 15.
Beyond ports and refineries, Ukraine has also targeted the Unecha pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline — a key artery supplying crude to Europe — as well as numerous logistics depots in Belgorod and Voronezh.
Experts warn the cumulative effect of these strikes could inflict lasting damage on Russia’s refining sector. At least seven major plants have been hit this summer alone. Repairs are made more difficult by Western sanctions, which have cut off access to European and US replacement parts for facilities originally built with Western technology.
Attaque de drones sur un port stratégique de la Fédération de Russie / Des drones ont frappé le deuxième plus grand port maritime de Russie Ust-Luga, dans la région de Leningrad. Ainsi qu’une raffinerie dans la région de Samara. pic.twitter.com/jpYocEfJc4
