27 March 2026
Russian oil companies have notified customers of a possible force majeure event for oil shipments through the Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, Reuters reports , citing three industry sources.
The two largest oil loading ports, which saw at least two tankers depart daily in March, have been hit by drone strikes three times since the beginning of the week. Primorsk, with a capacity of 1 million barrels per day, suspended oil loading on March 22 after a fire broke out in fuel tanks.
On March 25, Baltic ports were attacked again, but only Ust-Luga, with a capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, was damaged. On Friday, Ust-Luga was attacked again by a drone, and fires at the port’s terminals and transport infrastructure continue, Reuters sources told Reuters.
The shutdown of the two ports paralyzed approximately 40% of Russian oil exports, marking the largest oil supply disruption in the country’s modern history, the agency reports .
Primorsk resumed oil transshipment on March 26, but continues to operate at reduced capacity due to damage, Reuters sources told Reuters. Ust-Luga, which also ships coal and fertilizers abroad, issued an official notice suspending oil shipments without specifying a timeline for export resumption. According to one Reuters source, oil shipments from the port, scheduled for mid-April, have still not been finalized.
“This is the most serious threat to Russian oil and petroleum product exports since the war began,” states oil and gas analyst Boris Aronshtein. “The premeditation, scale, and targeting of the attacks, as well as their timing—all of this combined to produce an effect I personally cannot recall in more than four years of war.” Aronshtein estimates that up to 50% of seaborne oil exports, amounting to 3.5-4 million barrels per day, were affected.
The UAV attack in Ust-Luga halted operations at Novatek’s gas complex, which processes gas condensate into naphtha, kerosene, and fuel oil. Naphtha exports from the refinery have been suspended, sources told Reuters , and a restoration timeline is unknown.
Ukrainian drone strikes on ports could have a significant impact on Russia’s oil export revenues, which are used to finance the war, and could also partially offset the temporary lifting of US sanctions, according to analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War. In the week preceding the strikes, oil exports brought in $2.45 billion for Russia—a record amount since April 2022. Compared to the end of February, these revenues jumped 120%, driven by the price of Russian Urals crude, which in India exceeded $120 per barrel for the first time.
Apparently, the terminals themselves, and especially the oil storage facilities, in both Ust-Luga and Primorsk suffered significant damage, notes military analyst Yan Matveyev: “The main question is how severely damaged the port infrastructure for transshipping oil and petroleum products is… If the equipment itself is damaged, this could lead to significant delays in the shipment of oil and fuel.”
“Primorsk, with a capacity of 1 million barrels per day, suspended oil loading on March 22 after a fire broke out in fuel tanks.”
I wish media sites would stop playing down the achievements of Ukraine. Fire didn’t break out, the fucking thing was destroyed by Ukrainian drones.
It seems that certain journalists or editors are still having trouble giving little ole’ Ukraine credit for fantastically awesome accomplishments.
Yeah. With all the clickbait crap out there, media sites don’t want to give credit where its due.
Luckily, people like us see right through it.
Another gem from the circus.
Zelenskyy: The U.S. has tied security guarantees to Russia’s demand that Ukrainian troops withdraw from Donbas.
Rubio: That’s a lie! We never did that! We tied security guarantees to the end of the war!
Journalist: And what did you tie the end of the war to?
Rubio: The end of the war is tied to Russia’s demand that Ukrainian troops withdraw from Donbas!
That’s worthy to any good Three Stooges slapstick comedy scene.
Yeah they’re still worried about escalating things with putler. After all, he might get angry and do something like invade his neighbors, abduct children or occupy a nuclear energy site. Oh wait………
By striking those two ports, Ukraine achieved two bullseyes. I hope they keep on aiming at them until they achieve total destruction.
I believe they will. There is already a report out that we sent another 250 drones (so far) around Moscow on both sides and part of that looks to me like its returning to Leningrad.
That would be great news. I do enjoy seeing mafia land burn!