Credited from: CHANNELNEWSASIA
Ukrainian armed forces launched a wave of drone attacks on Sunday, specifically targeting critical Russian oil infrastructure including the Primorsk port on the Baltic Sea and two "shadow fleet" tankers. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that these tankers were heavily involved in transporting oil, asserting, "not anymore," as Ukraine aims to interrupt Moscow's energy supplies. The drone strikes reportedly resulted in significant damage at the port, which is a major export pathway for Russian oil according to multiple sources including Channel News Asia, Al Jazeera, and India Times.
The governor of Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, reported that around 60 drones were intercepted during the attacks, with fires caused by the drone strikes being swiftly extinguished and no oil spills detected. The Primorsk port, capable of handling one million barrels of oil per day, has been a consistent target as Ukraine escalates its military operations against Russian energy assets. This situation is corroborated by reports from CBS News and BBC.
Furthermore, Zelenskyy indicated that Ukrainian strikes had also targeted military vessels, including a missile ship, as part of ongoing efforts to cripple Russian military capabilities. This comes amidst continued speculation about the impact of these strikes on global oil prices, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov suggesting that sustained attacks could result in higher prices due to reduced oil availability. Experts note that the overall effectiveness of these strikes remains under scrutiny, as reported by Los Angeles Times and Reuters.
In related developments, Russian strikes on Ukraine resulted in fatalities, with reports indicating that at least ten people have died and numerous injuries occurred in a surge of retaliatory drone strikes. The ongoing conflict exhibits a pattern of increased drone warfare, with both sides frequently escalating their aerial attacks, highlighting the persistent state of hostility between the nations, according to sources such as CBS News, BBC, and Los Angeles Times.