Ukraine Drone Attacks Strike Primorsk Port, Damaging Karakurt Missile Ship and Shadow Fleet Tanker

Ukraine launched a wave of drone attacks that struck the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast overnight on May 3, setting it on fire, according to multiple outlets citing local officials.

“Ukrainian forces launched an attack on the Russian Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said, as Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of killing civilians in overnight air raids”

Al Jazeera

Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said more than 60 drones were downed over the region and that the fire at Primorsk was quickly extinguished with “no oil spill” reported after the attack, as reported by Cyprus Mail and DW.

Al Jazeera

DW described Primorsk as “one of Russia’s largest export hubs” with capacity to handle “one million barrels of oil a day,” and said the fire had been extinguished and no oil spill had been reported.

United24 Media reported that Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck a Russian Karakurt-class missile ship during the drone attack, and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was briefed by acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Major General Yevhenii Khmara.

Zelenskyy said the operation resulted in damage to “a Russian Karakurt-class missile ship,” as well as “a patrol boat and a tanker linked to Russia’s so-called shadow oil fleet,” according to United24 Media.

The New Voice of Ukraine similarly said an oil-loading berth was likely attacked at Primorsk, and that Drozdenko claimed “no oil spill was recorded.”

Zelenskyy framed the Primorsk strike as part of a broader effort to limit Russia’s war potential, and he linked the attack to damage across both military and energy-related assets.

In a Telegram post reported by Cyprus Mail, Zelenskiy said Ukraine had struck the Karakurt-class missile ship and a patrol boat, and also hit an oil tanker in the Baltic Sea, adding that “each such result further limits Russia’s war potential”.

AnewZ

United24 Media quoted Zelenskyy saying, “Each such result limits Russia’s war potential. I approved the SBU’s additional, entirely justified responses to Russian strikes on our cities and villages.”

United24 Media also reported Zelenskyy’s warning that “Russia can end this war at any moment,” and that “Prolonging the war will only lead to the expansion of our defensive operations,” tying the strike to subsequent “responses” to Russian strikes.

TRT World similarly quoted Zelenskyy on Telegram: “These tankers had been actively used to transport oil, not anymore,” and repeated his message that Ukraine’s long-range capabilities would continue “at sea, in the air, and on land.”

The New Voice of Ukraine reported that Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, posted a “fiery greeting” to Primorsk onTelegram and said a joint Defense Forces operation against key Russian oil-loading terminals was continuing.

United24 Media described the Primorsk operation as a joint effort involving multiple Ukrainian units and tied it to specific Russian hardware.

“Des drones ukrainiens frappent le port de Primorsk et des navires russes information fournie par Reuters 03/05/2026 à 15:12 (Actualisé avec déclarations de Zelensky) Des drones ukrainiens ont frappé dimanche le port russe de Primorsk, sur la mer Baltique, dans le cadre d'une vague d'attaques lancée par Kyiv à travers le pays”

Boursorama

It said the strike was carried out as a joint operation involving the SBU, the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Special Operations Forces, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), and border guard units.

United24 Media identified the targeted vessel as a Russian Project 22800 Karakurt-class small missile ship designed primarily as carriers of cruise missiles, and it detailed the ship’s vertical launch system with “eight cells” capable of deploying Kalibr cruise missiles or P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship missiles.

The same report listed the Karakurt-class armament and sensors, including a “76.2 mm AK-176MA naval gun,” “two 30 mm AK-630M close-in weapon systems,” and “12.7 mm machine guns.”

United24 Media added that later ships in the series have been fitted with the naval Pantsir-ME air defense system, with an option to integrate the Tor-M2KM system for additional air defense coverage.

The New Voice of Ukraine added an OSINT and fire-tracking angle, saying ASTRA reported NASA’s FIRMS fire-tracking service detected fires at the port.

Russian officials and local authorities responded to the drone wave with claims about interceptions and casualties across multiple regions, while Kremlin messaging linked the strikes to potential oil price increases.

Cyprus Mail reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said global oil prices may rise further if Ukraine continues to hit Russia’s oil infrastructure, quoting him that “prices will rise further from current levels, which are already above $120 a barrel.”

China Daily

The same report said Peskov argued that even with lower export volumes, “our companies would earn more money and the state would receive more revenue.”

DW reported that Russia’s Defense Ministry said “334 drones” were fired down overnight, while Kyiv’s air force said Russia fired “268 drones and one ballistic missile” at Ukraine, placing the exchange in a broader pattern of daily drone barrages.

DW also reported that a man was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack near Moscow, and that attacks in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region killed two people, while a third person was killed in a Russian strike in Kherson, according to officials.

TRT World similarly said Russian drone strikes on Ukraine killed three people across the country, while Ukrainian attacks killed one near Moscow, and it said Russian attacks on Odesa killed two people including a truck driver at a port.

Beyond the immediate fire at Primorsk, reporting described how the attack affected air operations and how analysts assessed what was hit.

“Ukraine launched a wave of drone attacks on targets across Russia on Sunday, hitting the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk and setting it on fire, and striking a number of vessels, as it steps up attacks on energy infrastructure and other targets”

Cyprus Mail

Kyiv Post said the Leningrad region faced a “massive drone assault” during the night of May 2-May 3 and reported that regional governor Alexander Drozdenko initially reported the destruction of “35 drones,” with the figure eventually rising to “over 60.”

Cyprus Mail

Kyiv Post also said that while Drozdenko claimed the fire was extinguished without an oil spill, “local reports and OSINT analysts suggest that an oil loading terminal may have been damaged,” and it added that analysts indicated the fire might reflect a strike on a “Pantsir” air defense system protecting the facility.

Kyiv Post further reported that St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport implemented “Carpet” emergency plans, halting all flight arrivals and departures for at least five hours.

Reform.news (formerly REFORM.by) similarly said flight restrictions were introduced at local airports including Pulkovo and Pskov airports, and it reported “More than 70 flights were cancelled,” with restrictions lifted by 08:00 local time.

The New Voice of Ukraine said ASTRA, citing its own OSINT analysis, reported that an oil-loading berth and possibly a Pantsir air defense system may have been struck at Primorsk, and it said NASA’s FIRMS fire-tracking service detected fires at the port.

The Primorsk strike was presented across outlets as part of a wider campaign against Russian energy logistics, with reporting linking the attack to stalled U.S.-brokered talks and to Ukraine’s long-range capabilities.

Cyprus Mail said Primorsk has been hit multiple times in recent months as U.S.-brokered talks to end the Ukraine war have stalled, and it described Primorsk as having capacity to handle “1 million barrels per day of oil supply.”

DW said Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months “in a bid to harm the Russian economy and disrupt fuel supplies to Russian forces,” and it said Kyiv targets Russia’s “shadow” tankers near Novorossiysk.

United24 Media and TRT World both described Zelenskyy’s claim that Ukraine struck two shadow fleet tankers near the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, with Zelenskyy saying, “These tankers had been actively used to transport oil – not anymore,” and TRT repeating the same Telegram phrasing.

The New Voice of Ukraine added that since March 2026 Ukrainian forces have stepped up long-range strikes on Russian oil and port infrastructure in Leningrad Oblast, and it claimed the ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga account for “44% of Russia’s oil exports.”

Il Gazzettino said Russia suspended oil shipments after the attack and claimed “About 60 million tons of oil pass through the port each year,” adding that a source said the fires forced Russia to suspend oil shipments and could cost Russia “up to $41 million per day.”