Ukrainian drones attacked an oil terminal in the port of Primorsk in Russia’s Leningrad region, the regional governor said Friday, September 12, describing a mass assault in which more than 30 drones were shot down. Governor Alexander Drozdenko wrote on his Telegram channel that a fire broke out on a vessel and at a pumping station.
“Falling fragments and debris from UAVs were recorded in Vsevolozhsk, Tosno, the villages of Pokrovskoye and Uzmino, as well as outside populated areas in the Lomonosovsky district. There are no casualties,” Drozdenko said. He added there is no threat of an oil products spill.
The drone attack prompted Pulkovo Airport to activate “Kover,” a counter-drone airspace restriction plan, leading to more than 50 flights being delayed or canceled, with several aircraft diverting to alternate airports. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) said other nearby airports—Ivanovo, Pskov, Yaroslavl and Kaluga—also paused operations.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said 221 Ukrainian drones were involved in the attack. The ministry claimed 28 were shot down over Leningrad region, 85 over Bryansk, 42 over Smolensk, 18 over Kaluga, 14 over Novgorod, and nine each over Moscow and Oryol regions. Drones also targeted the Belgorod, Rostov, Tver, Pskov, Tula and Kursk regions, according to the ministry.
Located in the Vyborgsky district, the port of Primorsk is the terminus of the Baltic Pipeline System. Through it, Russia - while continuing its war against Ukraine—exports crude oil and diesel by tanker, often to skirt sanctions. The site holds 18 storage tanks, each with a capacity of 50,000 tons. Russian media describe Primorsk as the country’s main oil-loading port, with an annual throughput of about 58 million tons.
