Russia’s Ust-Luga Baltic Sea port has resumed loading crude
oil after a Ukrainian drone strike targeted the area on March 23, while nearby
Primorsk
remains closed, Reuters reported,
citing three people familiar with the matter.
Primorsk and Ust-Luga are Russia’s largest oil-export hubs. Reuters earlier reported that both ports temporarily halted handling of crude oil and petroleum products after the attack.
Drones struck Primorsk in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast overnight into March 23, and a fuel storage tank caught fire, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said at the time. It was not immediately clear whether Ust-Luga sustained damage.
According to Reuters’ sources, in 2025 Ust-Luga exported
about 32.9 million tons of petroleum products and Primorsk about 16.8 million
tons. Ust-Luga ships roughly 700,000 barrels of oil a day, and Primorsk more
than 1 million barrels a day. Primorsk is a main loading point for Urals crude
and high-quality diesel.