Ukraine’s drones reached a Russian gas plant near the Estonian border — and a ship near Finland

Mar 25, 2026 - 06:07

ukraine's drones reached russian gas plant near estonian border — ship finland · post fire ust-luga port (left) black smoke rising over vyborg (center) following ukrainian drone strikes leningrad oblast

Ukrainian long-range strike drones hit the Gazprom Ust-Luga gas processing complex in Russia's Leningrad Oblast overnight on 24–25 March, according to Militarnyi — the first assault on the facility in 2026. In the same region, a ship at the Vyborg Shipbuilding Plant reportedly also sustained damage in the same overnight campaign.

Ukraine has pursued a sustained campaign against Russian energy export infrastructure for years, aiming to cut the foreign currency revenues that fund Moscow's war. Today's strikes came two days after Ukrainian drones torched a fuel depot at the nearby Primorsk oil terminal in the same Leningrad Oblast, continuing a sustained assault on Russia's Baltic energy export infrastructure.

Strike on one of Europe's largest gas processing plants

The attack fell on the night of 24–25 March. Local residents heard about a dozen explosions and saw a strong glow light the sky. By morning, a black column of smoke rose over the facility.

Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko claimed air defense forces destroyed 56 Ukrainian drones over the region. He described the resulting blaze as a minor fire being brought under control.

The complex sits about 900–1,000 km from Ukraine's state border, near the Estonian border on the Gulf of Finland.

The target: NOVATEK's gas condensate facility

Geoint analysis by Dnipro Osint identified the NOVATEK-Ust-Luga condensate processing facility as the likely specific target within the port. The plant processes stable gas condensate — a byproduct of oil and gas extraction — and ships petroleum products to foreign markets.

The broader Ust-Luga complex processes up to 45 bn m³ of natural gas annually. The channel said it also produces 13 mn tons of LNG, 3.6 mn tons of ethane, and 1.8 mn tons of propane-butane per year.

This marks at least the third strike on the complex since early 2024. In January 2024, Ukraine's Security Service damaged gas condensate storage tanks, stopping the terminal's technological process. Ukrainian drones struck the complex again in August 2025, setting off a large-scale fire.

Ship reportedly damaged at Vyborg shipyard

The same overnight campaign reached Vyborg — located across the Gulf of Finland from Ust-Luga, over 100 km away. Local residents reported a ship in the port had sustained damage, the Supernova+ Telegram channel wrote. A follow-up update with a photo placed the stricken vessel — visibly listed at at least 35 degrees — at the Vyborg Shipbuilding Plant. The yard specializes in building civilian ice-class vessels and offshore equipment. The governor's initial public statement made no mention of it, noting only a damaged roof on a residential building in the town.

Smoke seen coming from the port of Primorsk, Russia, following a reported Ukrainian drone strike on the site, 23 March 2026. Photo: Exilenova+

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Ukraine hits Primorsk – the Baltic port keeping Russia’s shadow fleet in business

Third Baltic energy target in three days

The Ust-Luga and Vyborg strikes followed a Ukrainian drone attack on Primorsk two nights earlier. Ukrainian drones hit Russia's largest Baltic oil export terminal on the night of 22–23 March, igniting a fuel tank and forcing evacuations. Reuters reported that both Primorsk and Ust-Luga suspended oil and fuel exports following the strikes. Ust-Luga alone exports around 700,000 barrels of oil per day when operational.