A Ukrainian drone attack has, for the first time, halted loading operations at Russia’s key western oil terminal at Primorsk, according to industry sources and Ukraine’s security service.

The strike, carried out overnight into Friday, marked the first reported attack on the Baltic Sea port and prompted a temporary shutdown of crude and product loadings, the sources said. Primorsk lies on the Gulf of Finland and is the main outlet for the Urals crude benchmark, with capacity to load about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and around 300,000 bpd of diesel, making it the largest oil port in western Russia.

The attack triggered fires on two vessels alongside and at a pumping station, the governor of Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, said. He reported that the blazes were extinguished and that there was no risk of an oil product spill. Drozdenko added that more than 30 drones were destroyed over the region during the raid. Russia’s defence ministry later said it had intercepted 221 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions. Pulkovo Airport in nearby St Petersburg briefly suspended operations during the alert.

Ukraine’s SBU security agency said it had targeted the Primorsk terminal with long-range drones, stating that the strike forced the suspension of loading operations. The agency described the action as part of a wider effort to curtail Russia’s energy revenues by placing pressure on export infrastructure. Kyiv has escalated drone strikes on oil facilities, including ports at Ust-Luga on the Baltic and Novorossiisk on the Black Sea, seeking to disrupt export logistics.

Two Aframax tankers, Kusto and Cai Yun, were reported hit in the raid. According to industry data compiled by LSEG, Kusto can carry about 700,000 barrels and is owned and managed by Solstice Corp; Cai Yun is owned and managed by Acceronix Ltd. Both vessels are registered in the Seychelles. It was not clear by late Friday whether loading operations at Primorsk had resumed; the governor did not confirm any suspension, while industry sources said loadings were halted early in the day. Transneft, the state pipeline operator that runs the terminal, and Russia’s Energy Ministry declined to comment.

The disruption at Primorsk comes as Russia is already contending with reduced export capacity at Ust-Luga following an earlier drone strike. That port is operating at roughly half capacity this month while repairs continue, according to industry sources. Other ports, including Novorossiisk, have also been targeted repeatedly, creating intermittent constraints on seaborne flows and prompting occasional diversions in export schedules.

Oil prices rose after news of the Primorsk suspension, with gains later tempered by concerns about US demand. Brent crude settled just under 1% higher on Friday, while US West Texas Intermediate rose by around 0.5%. Traders pointed to the risk that sustained attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure could reduce the availability of crude and refined products, even as global supply growth and macroeconomic factors weigh on benchmarks.

Russia has adjusted its September crude export programme from western ports to about 2.1 million bpd, an increase of 11% from the initial schedule, in part because earlier strikes on domestic refineries have lowered local crude demand. The changes have shifted more barrels towards maritime routes, with Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiisk serving as the main load points for seaborne shipments. Supplies of the Urals grade have continued to find buyers, although logistics have periodically been re-routed when infrastructure was taken offline.

Primorsk was inaugurated in 2001, a year after Vladimir Putin became president, as Moscow moved to route oil exports away from other Baltic terminals. The facility is the terminus of the Baltic Pipeline System and has been central to Russia’s strategy of maintaining seaborne export flexibility. The latest attack underlines the exposure of that network to long-range strikes despite air defences and adds to recent disruptions affecting pipelines and pumping stations in western Russia.

Ukraine’s General Staff had no immediate comment on Russian claims about the scale of drone interceptions. Market participants said they would watch for evidence of resumed loading windows at Primorsk, any knock-on diversions to other ports, and whether further strikes lead to prolonged capacity constraints across Russia’s Baltic export system.