Ust-Luga port attacked again after Russia accuses Baltic states of aiding Ukrainian drones

Because of the Ukrainian strikes, the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk were unable to receive and load fuel for close to two weeks. However, on April 5, Bloomberg reported that loading of crude oil at Ust-Luga had resumed.

On April 6, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — of opening their airspace to Ukrainian drones, saying Moscow had issued them a special warning.

“These countries were given an appropriate warning. If the regimes of these countries are smart enough, they will listen. If not, they will face a response,” she said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Russia’s pro-war bloggers reacted mockingly to Zakharova’s statement, particularly against the backdrop of the most recent attack (1, 2, 3).

“We’re waiting for a new special warning, but this time with the spokeswoman making a zigzag exit — that should look scarier,” wrote military blogger Vladimir Romanov.

Over the past month, Ukraine has sharply stepped up attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Reuters has reported that this has cut the country’s export capacity by about 1 million barrels per day — approximately one-fifth of the total.