Novatek, Russia's leading liquefied natural gas producer, was forced to cease certain operations at a Baltic Sea facility when a fire broke out after what the firm believes to have been a drone strike by the Ukrainian government.
On the Gulf of Finland, about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, is the Ust-Luga complex. This complex, according to Novatek's website, processes stable gas condensate into jet fuel, heavy and light naphtha, fuel oil, and gasoil. Shipments of processed goods to foreign markets pass via the port.
Strike Carried Out by Ukraine?
In a report by Reuters citing Interfax-Ukraine news agency, anonymous sources said the fire was caused by a special operation conducted by Ukraine's security forces.
Located in the Leningrad area, the Ust-Luga Oil terminal is a crucial asset for the enemy. There is a refinery for fuel, which is provided to the Russian military and others, as per one source.
"A successful attack on such a terminal not only causes economic damage to the enemy, depriving the occupiers of the opportunity to earn money to wage war in Ukraine, but also significantly complicates the logistics of fuel for the Russian military," the insider added.
Reportedly, a number of explosions followed the sound of a drone taking flight in the area.
The claim that the fire was started by a drone assault by the Ukrainians could still not be verified.
Operations at Novatek Temporarily Suspended
The governor of the Leningrad area, Alexander Drozdenko, confirmed via the messaging app Telegram that no one had been hurt and that all employees had been rescued without issue.
Two storage tanks and a pumping station were destroyed in the incident, as reported by Russian news sources, but the situation has been brought under control.
In a statement, Novatek said it had temporarily halted operations after the fire, attributed to "external influence." It continued: "The technological process at Novatek-Ust-Luga has been stopped, and an operational headquarters has been established to eliminate the consequences. Damage assessment will be carried out later."
Ongoing Conflict Between Russia and Ukraine
The almost two-year-old conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of ending. Both sides have resorted to attacks on each other's energy infrastructure in an effort to demoralize the other and disrupt supply lines and logistics.
Moscow has placed the blame on Kyiv after a drone assault on Friday, January 19, on an oil station in Bryansk, a province in western Russia that borders Ukraine. This occurred only one day after what Russian authorities said was a fruitless assault on an oil port located in the Baltic Sea.
