Ukraine hit Russia with an extensive drone attack during the night, triggering fires in the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, according to Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Defense spoke of 398 long-range drones intercepted over various parts of the country. According to the state news agency Tass, this is said to be the most serious recorded Ukrainian drone attack on Russia to date.
Ust-Luga, an important port for Russian oil and gas exports on the Gulf of Finland, around 100 km west of St. Petersburg, was affected. Russian authorities confirmed fires there, but reported no casualties. Damage to buildings was also reported on the island of Kronstadt, an important naval base of the Russian Baltic fleet. According to Russian reports, oil tanks in the port of Primorsk, also located on the Baltic Sea, had already caught fire on Monday as a result of a Ukrainian attack.
The Ukrainian attack followed a massive wave of Russian attacks against Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia deployed almost 1,000 drones within 24 hours. Accordingly, 392 drones were launched the night before, followed by a further 550 during the day on Tuesday. According to Ukrainian reports, at least eight people were killed, and numerous people were injured and civilian infrastructure was severely damaged.
The historic city center of Lviv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was also hit. Two people were killed in Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine. Ten residential buildings and a maternity clinic were also damaged there. Another person was killed in the Vinnytsia region. At least five people had already been killed in Russian airstrikes in various parts of the country on Tuesday night.
Tanker “Koala” was attacked in Ust-Luga in 2025
An incident in Ust-Luga had already attracted attention in February 2025 : the tanker “Koala” suffered an accident after several explosions in the engine room. The ship, loaded with 130,000 tons of oil, also became an example of the considerable risks associated with Russia’s oil transports and possible operations of the so-called “shadow fleet”.
