Ukrainian Drones Bomb Russian Oil Ports, Damage NORSI Refinery, Primorsk Port

Ukrainian drone forces struck Russia's Baltic Sea oil exporting port of Primorsk, causing significant damage and fuel leaks.

“During the night of April 5, Ukrainian drones attacked an oil pipeline near the Port of Primorsk in the Leningrad region and two sites of the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo in the Nizhny Novgorod region, according to Russian sources”

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Governor Drozdenko initially reported pipeline damage but later clarified the leak occurred from a fuel reservoir hit by shrapnel.

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The port can handle up to one million barrels per day and has been repeatedly hit in previous months.

At least 40% of the port's storage facilities were lost in March attacks.

The strikes forced temporary shutdowns of oil loading at both Primorsk and Ust-Luga.

Ukrainian drones targeted the NORSI oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia's fourth largest.

Governor Nikitin confirmed a fire broke out and two facilities were hit.

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The Novogorkivsk thermal power plant and residential buildings were damaged, affecting about 3,000 people.

The refinery processes up to 16 million metric tonnes of oil per year.

The drone strikes came after weeks of intensified Ukrainian operations against Russian energy infrastructure.

“Ukrainian drones have struck Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk and the NORSI oil refinery in the central Nizhny Novgorod region, according to Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert Brovdi”

Al Jazeera

Roughly 35% of Russia's oil export capacity was offline by early April.

The trans-Baltic infrastructure handled about 20% of Russia's oil exports.

Executives at Rosneft and Lukoil acknowledged supply chain challenges.

The attacks reflect a shift from military targets to economic considerations.