Ukrainian drone strikes ignite a fire at Russia’s Ust-Luga port as air defences claim to down nearly 400 drones overnight amid escalating cross-border attacks.
MOSCOW: Ukrainian attacks ignited a significant fire at a major Russian export port in the northwest of the country.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia’s Leningrad region, confirmed the incident at the port of Ust-Luga, stating the fire was being brought under control and no casualties were reported.
The port is a crucial hub for Russian exports, including fertilisers, oil and coal.
This strike follows a similar attack on Monday against the port of Primorsk, also located near the Finnish border.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 389 Ukrainian drones overnight and in the early morning.
The drones were reportedly targeted in regions bordering Ukraine and around the capital, Moscow.
Further south, the border region of Belgorod reported “serious damage” to electricity and water facilities after a Ukrainian rocket attack.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the damage on Wednesday.
Ukraine has intensified strikes against Russia in recent weeks, as the conflict initiated by Russia’s February 2022 invasion continues.
Ukrainian officials stated Russia fired nearly 1,000 drones at Ukraine in a 24-hour period on Tuesday.
They also unleashed one of its biggest-ever daytime attacks, according to Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s “absolute depravity” after an attack that killed at least three people and damaged a UNESCO heritage site in Lviv.
A third round of US-brokered peace talks aimed at ending the four-year war has been derailed by conflict in the Middle East.
Ukraine sent a delegation to the United States last weekend in an attempt to revive negotiations, but the effort yielded no immediate result.
