On the night of November 11, drones massively attacked Russia's Leningrad Oblast. As a result of the strikes, a fire broke out in the port zone of Ust-Luga – one of Russia's largest seaports on the Baltic Sea. Three workers were injured.
Astra reported this, citing statements by Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko and NASA satellite monitoring data.
The first reports of explosions in the Ust-Luga area appeared after midnight. Local residents posted videos of a large-scale fire, the glow of which, according to witnesses, was visible from a considerable distance. Initially, Astra noted that it could not independently verify the filming location of these videos.
Later, Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that several drones hit the port zone of Ust-Luga. According to him, the attack caused a fire, and emergency services were involved in extinguishing it.
"As a result of the impact of several UAVs, a fire broke out, three workers were injured, there is no threat to life", – Drozdenko stated.
Also, an emergency shutdown of a transformer substation occurred in the settlement of Ust-Luga.
The scale of the fire is confirmed by satellite monitoring data. As Astra notes, NASA's FIRMS system recorded fresh thermal anomalies in the port area on November 11. Satellite images show several significant high-temperature hotspots.
The monitoring channel Exilenova+ also published numerous videos of the fire and reported the likely destruction of tankers. However, there is currently no independent confirmation of damage to vessels. It is also unclear which port terminals were damaged.
According to the Russian governor, 150 drones were shot down over Leningrad Oblast during the night. There is no independent confirmation of this number.
Against the backdrop of the attack, Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg temporarily suspended operations. Two passenger planes heading to St. Petersburg from Istanbul and Hurghada landed in Helsinki. Another flight from Hurghada was redirected to Kaliningrad. In the morning, the restrictions on receiving and departing aircraft were lifted.
Air threats were also declared in the Baltic countries. According to European Pravda, residents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were warned about possible drone incursions into their airspace. NATO fighters were scrambled in Estonia due to the potential threat, but the warning was later lifted.
The port of Ust-Luga is one of Russia's key export hubs on the Baltic Sea. It handles transshipment of oil, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, gas condensate, coal, fertilizers and other cargo.
The port infrastructure of Ust-Luga has previously been attacked. In particular, on August 14, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported damage to the Novatek-Ust-Luga complex, and on September 1, information appeared about a fire in the port zone after a drone strike.
As of the morning of November 11, Russian authorities have not released estimates of material damage or information about possible restrictions on port operations after the night attack.
Based on materials from: Astra, European Pravda
