Ust-Luga
Russia's largest Baltic oil terminal; drone strikes cut exports 43% in March 2026.
Last refreshed: 1 April 2026
If Ukraine keeps hitting Ust-Luga, how quickly does Russia's war funding unravel?
Latest on Ust-Luga
- What is Ust-Luga terminal Russia?
- Ust-Luga is Russia's largest Baltic oil export terminal, located in Leningrad Oblast. It handles crude oil, fuel oil, gasoline, and LPG exports primarily to European and shadow-fleet buyers.
- Was Ust-Luga attacked by Ukraine?
- Yes. Ukrainian drones struck Ust-Luga at least four times between 22 and 31 March 2026, halting all fuel oil and gasoline intake on 25 March and contributing to a 43% weekly export collapse.Source: Shipping data
- How did Ust-Luga strikes affect Russian oil exports?
- The March 2026 strikes collapsed Russian seaborne crude exports from 4.07 to 2.32 million bpd in a single week, the steepest decline in modern Russian export history.Source: CREA
- Why did Russia ban gasoline exports in 2026?
- Russia imposed a gasoline export ban from 1 April to 31 July 2026 after Ust-Luga halted fuel intake, the Kirishi refinery closed, and three more refineries faced cascade shutdowns.Source: Russian government
- Where is Ust-Luga?
- Ust-Luga is on the Gulf of Finland in Leningrad Oblast, roughly 130 km west of St Petersburg.
Background
Ust-Luga is Russia's largest Baltic Sea oil and petroleum products terminal, located in Leningrad Oblast, handling crude, fuel oil, gasoline, and LPG. Between 22 and 31 March 2026, Ukrainian drones struck Ust-Luga and nearby Primorsk at least four times. The result was a 43% collapse in Russian seaborne crude exports in a single week — from 4.07 million barrels per day to 2.32 million bpd — the steepest weekly decline in modern Russian export history.
Ust-Luga halted all fuel oil and gasoline intake on 25 March, triggering a cascade that shut the Kirishi refinery and threatened three further refineries in Yaroslavl, Moscow, and Ryazan. Russia responded by imposing a gasoline export ban from 1 April through 31 July 2026.
The terminal is a linchpin of Russia's war-funding infrastructure; oil and gas revenues account for roughly 30% of Russia's federal budget. A sustained campaign against Ust-Luga and Primorsk has greater fiscal impact per sortie than frontline artillery exchanges. Shadow-fleet tankers operating through Ust-Luga have also been subject to Swedish and Finnish maritime enforcement actions in the Baltic.
