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Key Russian Baltic Sea Port Suffers Fire Incident After Drone Strikes

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The port of Ust-Luga, an important Russian commercial maritime port and energy export hub on the Baltic Sea, suffered a fire following a drone strike, the region's governor Alexander Drozdenko said in a Telegram post on Friday.

About 51 unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down over the Leningrad region, he said.

"A fire broke out at the Ust-Luga port as a result of the damage. Emergency crews have begun extinguishing the blaze. Combat operations are ongoing," Drozdenko said.

In a subsequent post, Drozdenko said "all consequences of the attack at the Ust-Luga port have been cleared up. There are no casualties."

The port handles crude oil, petroleum products, coal, fertilizer and grain and is also home to a major Novatek refinery, which has faced shutdowns and crude-loading disruption following repeated Ukrainian attacks, Bloomberg reported Friday.

According to a Reuters report on Thursday, citing an undisclosed source, Ukraine has proposed that both sides stop attacking civilian targets in the Black Sea, but is still awaiting Russia's response.

The proposal, sent through a third party, was made amid increasing concern over global food supplies as attacks on Black Sea vessels and ports intensify, the report said.

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