On Sunday, Ukraine launched a wave of drone attacks on targets across Russia, targeting the port of Primorsk on the Baltic Sea, causing it to catch fire, in addition to attacking a number of ships, as part of an escalation of its attacks on energy infrastructure and other targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the strikes caused severe damage to the oil export port, stressing that Ukraine will continue to develop its long-range capabilities at sea, air and land.

Published on: 05/03/2026 - 18:02 Last updated: 05/04/2026 - 09:04

On Sunday, Ukraine launched a wave of drone attacks on targets across Russia, targeting the port of Primorsk on the Baltic Sea, causing it to catch fire, and attacked a number of ships, as part of an escalation of its attacks on energy infrastructure and other targets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes caused severe damage to the oil export port. He added via the Telegram application that the strikes also targeted an oil tanker, a small Russian Karakurt missile launcher, and a patrol boat in the Baltic Sea. "Each such outcome further limits Russia's war capabilities," he wrote.

Read also: A UN investigation accuses Russia of committing “crimes against humanity” by forcibly transferring Ukrainian children

Details of the attack and Russian attempts to confront it

Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region, said that more than 60 drones were shot down overnight over the region in northwestern Russia, where the port is. He pointed out that the attack on the port of Primorsk did not result in an oil leak and that the fire was quickly extinguished.

Among numerous reports of other attacks across Russia, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, said a drone struck a car, killing a 21-year-old man and his father instantly.

Development of Ukraine's long-term capabilities

Primorsk, one of Russia's largest export gateways, has a capacity of 1 million barrels of oil supply per day. It has come under repeated attacks in the past few months as US-brokered talks to end the war in Ukraine have faltered.

Zelensky said earlier today that Ukrainian forces also targeted two tankers belonging to the Russian Shadow Fleet in the waters at the entrance to the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. Zelensky added via the Telegram application, “These two tankers were actively used to transport oil, not anymore... Ukraine will continue the comprehensive development of its long-range capabilities, at sea, in the air and on land.”

Russia is unaffected by the attacks

Russian television quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that global oil prices may rise further if Ukraine continues to bomb Russian oil infrastructure. "If additional quantities of our oil are absent from the market, prices will rise further compared to current levels, which already exceed $120 per barrel," Peskov said. He added, "This means that even with a decrease in the volume of exports, our companies will earn more money and the country will receive more revenue."

Sporadic attacks in other Russian regions

Other Russian regions reported drone attacks yesterday, Saturday and Sunday. Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said yesterday evening, Saturday, that a 77-year-old man was killed in a village as a result of a drone attack. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that four marches on their way to the Russian capital had been shot down.

Vasily Anokhin, governor of the Smolensk region in western Russia, said that three people, including a child, were injured on Sunday following a drone attack on a residential building.

Oleksandr Sersky, commander of the Ukrainian army, said on Saturday that Russian forces were advancing towards the city of Kostyantinivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

France 24/Reuters

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.