Fire erupts at Russia's Ust-Luga port after week of record drone attacks on Leningrad

A major fire broke out at Russia's Ust-Luga port on Sunday following a wave of drone attacks over the past week, reported Xinhua, quoting local media.

The Ust-Luga port, a major oil export terminal roughly 150 km west of St. Petersburg, has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in recent days, with emergency crews working to contain the blaze. The week of drone attacks marked the largest such assault on Leningrad Oblast since 2022.

According to the TASS news agency, Russian air defense systems has repelled continuous waves of drone attacks from Monday to Sunday, with 235 UAVs shot down.

Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said the region has been under a heightened state of alert since March 22, describing the situation as "unprecedented attacks by hostile UAVs." Regional authorities and emergency services have switched to round-the-clock operations.

Several industrial facilities and transport infrastructure sites were damaged, the governor said.

Temporary restrictions were imposed at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, affecting both arrivals and departures. The week of attacks led to 117 flights canceled and 211 delays, according to the airport.