Drone Strikes Cripple Russia's Baltic Oil Ports

Ukrainian drone strikes have inflicted considerable damage on Russia's Baltic Sea oil ports, causing notable disruptions in the country's export operations. According to U.S. commercial satellite images reviewed by Reuters, Primorsk, one of Russia's largest export gateways, has lost 40% of its storage facilities.

The attacks, among the heaviest launched on the Baltic Sea ports during the ongoing conflict, forced the shutdown of around 40% of Russia's oil exporting capabilities last month. This includes the closure of the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine and the seizure of vessels linked to Russia.

Satellite images from the end of March, provided by Vantor, a U.S. spatial intelligence company, showed significant damage to key storage reservoirs. Traders foresee a cut in turnover due to the impaired logistics chain. The situation has prompted Russia to enhance protective measures for its critical infrastructure, termed as 'terrorist attacks' by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.