Satellite images and verified footage indicate that Ukraine has carried out multiple attacks on critical Russian oil export infrastructure near the Baltic Sea over the past week, leaving several facilities ablaze for days.
BBC Verify confirmed that at least three oil sites in Russia’s Leningrad region, near the city of St Petersburg, roughly 500 miles (800 km) north of the Ukrainian border, were targeted since 23 March.
The attacks included strikes on the strategic Baltic ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, as well as an inland assault on the Kirishi oil refinery.
According to the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea), in 2025, Primorsk handled 22% of Russia’s total oil exports, while Ust-Luga accounted for 20%.
Recent tracking shows that no oil-loading activities occurred at any of Russia’s three Baltic ports on 26 and 27 March, marking the first two-day pause in shipments since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Satellite imagery captured thick plumes of smoke rising from burning facilities in Primorsk on 24 March, with additional fires at Ust-Luga and significant damage at Kirishi on 27 March.
Analysis by BBC Verify of the images revealed the extent of the damage:
- Primorsk – at least eight storage tanks destroyed or damaged
- Ust-Luga – at least eight tanks affected
- Kirishi – at least two storage tanks damaged
NASA’s FIRMS satellite system, which detects heat signatures on Earth’s surface, showed that Primorsk was still ablaze as of 02:54 BST on Monday, while a heat signature was also recorded at Ust-Luga at 12:28 BST the same day. Leningrad governor Alexander Drozdenko said the fire had been brought under control on Sunday and reported no casualties.
Several videos confirmed by BBC Verify show the aftermath of attacks at all three facilities, including footage of massive smoke rising from Primorsk.
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s military drone forces, stated that the operations targeting these three Baltic oil export sites occurred between 23 and 28 March.
Brovdi explained that the strikes were intended to “demilitarize Russia’s oil arteries, refining capacity, and crude export infrastructure.”
Ukraine’s military noted that the Kirishi refinery is among Russia’s three largest oil-processing plants and produces fuels that sustain the country’s armed forces.