In addition to refineries and pipelines, recent drone strikes targeted port infrastructure in Leningrad Oblast, constraining the exports of Russian oil via the Baltic Sea.
“At least 20% of Russia's total export capacity is out of order, down from a peak of 40% in March, but still enough, according to three industry sources, to have an impact on Russian oil production, the world's third largest after the
The main Baltic export port, Ust-Luga, halted oil exports a week ago after Ukrainian drone strikes and fires. Sources told Reuters that drone attacks on both export facilities and refineries have left Russia’s pipeline network full and storage tanks overflowing.
“That means some oilfields will have to reduce their output to avoid flooding the system further,” the report said, citing sources.
The journalists noted that Russia’s export capacity was already constrained earlier this year after operation of the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, was suspended in January.
Despite Western sanctions and Ukrainian drone strikes on
refineries, Russian oil output last year fell only 0.8% to 10.28 million
barrels a day, about one-tenth of global production, Reuters added.