MOSCOW, March 23 (Reuters) – A fuel reservoir in Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, Russia’s largest western oil exporting hub, caught fire after a drone attack, Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of northwestern Leningrad region, said on Telegram messaging app on Monday.
The port, which is able to export more than 1 million barrels of crude oil per day, is a major export outlet for Russia’s flagship Urals crude and high quality diesel.
According to sources, exports of diesel from the port reached 16.8 million metric tons last year.
Ukraine has continued its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, hitting oil exporting facilities and oil refineries in attempt to undermine Moscow’s war economy.
Primorsk was also attacked in September, when loadings of oil were interrupted.
The governor said 35 drones have been shot down over the Leningrad region in recent attacks, while the defence ministry said 249 drones have been intercepted and destroyed over Russia in total overnight.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Tom Hogue and Guy Faulconbridge)
