General Staff confirms strike on Novatek-Ust-Luga plant in Russia's Leningrad region
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the "Novatek-Ust-Luga" plant in Russia's Leningrad region was hit.
According to Ukrinform, the General Staff reported this on Facebook.
On the night of March 24, during a joint operation, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Novatek-Ust-Luga plant.
According to preliminary information, the storage tank facilities and loading racks (used for transferring oil and petroleum products) were hit. A fire was recorded on the premises.
This facility is an important part of Russia's energy infrastructure and is used for the export and transportation of petroleum products, revenues from which are used to support the armed aggression against Ukraine.
The extent of the damage is being clarified.
Communication hubs of Russian units were also hit in temporarily occupied Donetsk, as well as in Velyka Novosilka and Hirnyk in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region.
Additionally, an enemy communication hub was struck near Fedorivka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Strikes on such facilities significantly complicate command and control and coordination of Russian forces.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) added that drones from the Alpha Special Operations Center struck the Ust-Luga oil terminal in the Leningrad region.
The SSU, together with the Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, and the State Border Guard Service, conducted a successful special operation targeting the oil terminal infrastructure at the port of Ust-Luga.
This is one of Russia's key Baltic seaports, through which crude oil and petroleum products are exported, including via vessels of the so-called "shadow fleet."
"Today's special operation is a symbolic 'gift' to the enemy for SSU Day. It is another reminder that there are no safe regions left in Russia. We will continue long-range operations to systematically reduce the enemy's military and economic potential," said Acting Head of the SSU, Major General Yevhenii Khmara.
Long-range drones from the SSU's Alpha Center traveled over 900 kilometers and successfully hit their targets. As a result of the attack, oil-loading racks and storage tanks containing oil and petroleum products were damaged. A large-scale fire has been recorded at the port, which was confirmed by the governor of the Leningrad region.
Strikes on facilities like Ust-Luga have not only tactical but also strategic effects, as they reduce foreign currency revenues to Russia's budget.
This is already the second SSU attack this week on Russian oil export infrastructure in the Baltic. On March 23, SSU drones successfully struck the port of Primorsk, where a fire is still ongoing.
The Unmanned Systems Forces noted that the strike on the facility was successful despite Russian air defense countermeasures.
As previously reported, Ukraine's Defense Forces also struck a Russian combat icebreaker at the Vyborg Shipyard in the Leningrad region.