Last night, Ukrainian Security Service drones struck Russia's largest oil port on the Baltic Sea, which is the terminus of the Baltic pipeline system, sources in the agency told LB.
Primorsk is a key hub for loading the ‘shadow fleet,’ which the Russian Federation uses to circumvent international sanctions and sell oil on foreign markets. About 60 million tonnes of oil pass through the port each year, bringing Russia approximately $15 billion.
As a result of a successful attack by SBU drones on one of the ships in the port and on a pumping station, fires broke out and oil shipments were suspended. The estimated daily losses to the Russian budget from the suspension of exports could be up to $41 million.
The SBU also struck a number of Russian oil pumping stations — NPS-3, the Andreapol oil pumping station, and NPS-7. These are key elements of the main pipeline system that supplies crude oil to the port terminal of Ust-Luga.
“The SBU was the first to systematically impose so-called drone sanctions against Russia’s oil industry. They cut off the flow of petrodollars into the aggressor’s budget. And since the Russian economy relies on oil, every such ‘cotton’ — a colloquial term for explosions on occupied Ukrainian territories and inside Russia during the full-scale invasion — hits their ability to wage war against our state. These sanctions will continue until a just peace comes to Ukraine,” a well-informed SBU source said.
As a reminder, on the night of 12 September, Russia was attacked by more than 200 drones. There is information about an attack on an oil refinery in the Smolensk Region and the port of Primorsk in the Leningrad Region. Drones were also shot down on their approach to Moscow.