Ukrainian drones strike Russia's largest Baltic port Ust-Luga, sparking fire and regional airspace alerts

Overnight strike on Ust-Luga

An overnight drone attack by Ukraine targeted the port of Ust-Luga in Russia's Leningrad Oblast on the night of Thursday 13 August into Friday 14 August 2026. Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko reported on Telegram that 51 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Leningrad Oblast and that a fire broke out at the port as a result of the damage. Specialised teams had already begun firefighting operations, Drozdenko said. The scale of destruction was not yet known as of the first reports.

A key node for Russian oil exports

Ust-Luga, located about 100 kilometres west of St. Petersburg, is Russia's largest port on the Baltic Sea. It hosts an oil terminal that serves as an important hub for the export of crude oil and petroleum products. Bloomberg reported that Ukraine has been carrying out near-daily strikes on Russia's energy and port infrastructure in a bid to reduce the Kremlin's commodity-export revenue and its ability to supply the domestic market with oil products. Some of these strikes have occurred at considerable distance from the Ukraine-Russia border.

The Ukrainian army has not confirmed the attack on Ust-Luga, according to Mediafax citing The Kyiv Independent. Russian officials spoke of significant damage to the port infrastructure.

Regional fallout across the Baltics

The attack prompted emergency responses from neighbouring countries. Latvia issued an air threat alert on Friday for parts of its eastern regions near the borders with Russia and Belarus. The Latvian armed forces reported that a fighter jet shot down a drone that had violated Latvian airspace on Friday. Finland temporarily restricted air and maritime traffic in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland.

Reuters, cited by rmf24.pl, reported on both the Latvian and Finnish decisions. Russia has accused the Baltic states of actively supporting Ukrainian drone attacks on its infrastructure in Leningrad Oblast, an accusation the Baltic countries deny. In the past, Ukrainian drones en route to Russia have crashed in Baltic states.

Governor's account

Drozdenko provided the first official account of the attack via his Telegram channel. He confirmed that more than 50 drones had been intercepted by Russian air defence across the entire oblast and that the port of Ust-Luga sustained damage resulting in a fire. El Confidencial reported his statement that 51 enemy drones had been shot down in the Leningrad region and that a fire was declared at the port of Ust-Luga as a result of the damage, with specialised teams having begun extinguishing operations.

The attack fits a broader pattern of Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian oil infrastructure, including refineries and transport facilities for Russian oil. Ust-Luga's role as a critical export terminal for crude oil and petroleum products makes it a strategically significant target in Ukraine's campaign to degrade Russian energy revenue streams.