- Ukraine targeted Russia’s Primorsk oil port with drones, causing a fire.
- Kyiv also struck two ‘shadow fleet’ tankers near Novorossiysk.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse, Saim Dušan Inayatullah
Ukraine launched dozens of drones at the oil loading port of Primorsk in Russia’s northwest on Sunday, sparking a fire, the local governor said.
Primorsk, on the Baltic Sea, is one of Russia’s largest export hubs, with the capacity to handle one million barrels of oil a day.
Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the fire had been extinguished and that no oil spill had been reported following the attack. He also said more than 60 drones had been shot down over the region.
The independent outlet Astra cited satellite image analysis and said the oil terminal and a Pantsir air defense system were likely hit.
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months in a bid to harm the Russian economy and disrupt fuel supplies to Russian forces.
Kyiv Targets Russia’s ‘Shadow’ Tankers
Ukraine also hit two shadow fleet tankers near the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday. The so-called shadow tankers are aging vessels used to ship Russia’s sanctioned oil around the world.
“These tankers had been actively used to transport oil — not anymore,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Zelenskyy Arrives In Armenia
Later on Sunday, the Ukrainian president arrived in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, ahead of the European Political Community summit scheduled for the following day.
“Many meetings ahead. The key priority is more security and coordination for all of us,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
During a meeting in Yerevan with the Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, the Ukrainian president proposed that the two countries strengthen their bilateral partnership by “signing an agreement in the format of the Drone Deal.”
Zelenskyy also discussed a strategic partnership with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Sture, including a drone deal and efforts to strengthen air defense. Zelenskyy thanked the prime ministers of the two Nordic countries for their support of Ukraine.
The European Political Community is an intergovernmental forum for political and strategic discussions about the future of Europe. It was established in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Daily Drone Attacks Continue
Ukraine fired 334 drones at Russia overnight, Moscow’s Defence Ministry said, while Kyiv’s air force said Russia fired 268 drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine.
A man was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack near Moscow, the regional governor said.
Meanwhile, attacks in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, home to key export terminals, killed two people, regional Governor Oleg Kiper said.
“Facilities and equipment for the port infrastructure were also damaged,” he said.
A third person was killed in a Russian strike in the frontline region of Kherson in southern Ukraine, according to officials.
Russia and Ukraine have traded daily drone barrages for most of the war, as US-mediated talks to end the fighting have stalled.
