A new front has opened in Putin’s war against Ukraine, which emphasizes the vulnerability of oil exports from the Russian Federation’s western ports. New drone attacks are being performed on objects on the Baltic Sea coast.
It is noted that last week, the first ever Ukrainian drone reached the Leningrad region, which is approximately 1,000 km from the border. The drone was shot down over the St. Petersburg oil terminal.
The second drone attack in a week caused a fire that shut down the Novatek gas-condensate plant in the port of Ust-Luga, which supplies fuel for the Russian army. The plant is also located near Russia’s most important oil terminals, which concerns oil market observers.
Regular attacks and/or heavier drones can disrupt the Baltic ports’ operations and reduce export volumes, said the former top manager of a Russian oil-producing enterprise.
According to analysts, Russian oil producers are unable to redirect flows of this volume to any other port.