Ukraine Hits Russia’s Biggest Baltic Port as 516 Drones Reportedly Swarm Russian Skies

September 2 ------ Ukrainian drones targeted Russia’s Leningrad Region, striking the Ust-Luga port and sparking a fire as Moscow claimed more than 500 drones were intercepted nationwide.

According to regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko, 52 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region within four hours. “Damage has been recorded in the Ust-Luga port area, and there is a fire. Emergency services are working at the scene. Information on the consequences is being clarified,” Drozdenko initially wrote on Telegram. He later said the fire caused by the drone attack had been extinguished and that there were no casualties.

The drone attack also prompted Estonia to scramble NATO fighter jets after several drones reportedly entered Estonian airspace, according to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. The incident triggered air raid alerts in areas near the border. Ust-Luga, Russia’s largest port on the Baltic Sea and the country’s second-largest port after Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, was previously targeted on Aug. 14. The port is a major export hub for oil, naphtha, fuel oil, jet fuel, and gas oil.

According to Reuters, oil exports through Ust-Luga averaged around 700,000 barrels per day in 2025, while the port handled 32.8 million metric tons (36.1 million tons) of petroleum product exports. Grain traders have also increasingly redirected shipments to Baltic ports, including Ust-Luga, following Ukrainian strikes on Russian ports in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

Separately, the Russian independent outlet Astra, citing local residents, reported a large fire in the town of Koltushi in the Leningrad Region, near the Vyborzhets agricultural company. Residents reportedly heard an explosion shortly before the fire broke out. There were no casualties reported in the incident. Emergency services were working at the scene, and the circumstances were being investigated.

Source: kyivpost.com