The Russian energy company Novatek has had to suspend part of its operations at the large fuel terminal in Ust-Luga, i.e. Laukaansuu. Ukraine carried out an airplane attack on the terminal on Sunday, which surprised Russia.
– The Ministry of Defense and the defense branches are doing everything to ensure that we are protected from such attacks, said a Kremlin spokesperson on Monday Dmitry Peskov.
Russia exports oil, oil products and gas to international markets through the terminal.
It is not clear how long the suspension will last and how long ships will have to wait to enter the port.
On Monday, Novatek did not answer ‘s questions about it.
From the Marine Traffic website, which follows marine traffic, you can see that there are several tankers and other ships in Laukaanlahti waiting to enter the port.
Some of the ships have also been sawing back and forth on Monday, almost stationary in the Gulf of Finland, waiting to enter the port.
The order to destroy the drones
Russia has kept critical infrastructure sites on heightened alert in St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region following the Ukrainian drone strike.
The news agency Reuters and the Russian state news agency TASS report on the matter, among others.
In addition to military targets, critical infrastructure usually includes, for example, power plants, substations, ports and transport links.
The authorities have an order to destroy detected, unmanned aircraft, i.e. helicopters or drones.
– It is likely that [Ukrainan] operations will continue at this new level, where Russia’s critical energy infrastructure will be attacked, says the head teacher of air warfare Tomi Lyytinen From the Department of Military Art at the National Defense University.
The map below shows how St. Petersburg’s anti-aircraft defenses are organized into areas around the big city. The map also shows radar stations whose task would be to detect approaching drones.
Sunday’s attack revealed that St. Petersburg’s defense is not working in the best possible way.
The nearest radar station from the Ust-Luga terminal is about three kilometers away. The radar station probably detected the approaching Ukrainian drone, but the anti-aircraft defense was not activated in time.
– Ust-Luga is not a critical area for Russia in the same way as St. Petersburg and Moscow. Performance is probably less, says Lyytinen, head teacher of air warfare.
Lyytinen says that the Russians may also have been surprised by Ukraine’s ability to extend the attacks to the St. Petersburg region and a civilian-owned target. Defense requires action from Russia.
– This requires anti-aircraft, surveillance capability and the ability to do electronic jamming, which Russia is capable of, but then it is away from somewhere else, Lyytinen states.
The most effective way to combat drone strikes are short-range anti-aircraft systems.
In 2021 was reported, that a mobile air defense regiment operating with Pantsir-S equipment had been established to defend the St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, which should be effective in a situation like yesterday’s. On Sunday it either didn’t work or wasn’t there.
War becomes visible in Russia
One of Ukraine’s goals for carrying out attacks in the St. Petersburg area is probably to make the war even more visible in Russia.
– That is the most important goal. Let’s hit explosive objects that produce a great visual effect, and the information about it will spread quickly inside Russia, says Lyytinen.
According to Lyytinen, military targets are so well protected that it is not even worth attacking them with drones.
There are many soft targets around St. Petersburg that may be of interest to Ukraine in the future. They are also close to the Finnish border, for example in Primorsk, i.e. Koivisto, and in Bolshoi Bor.
You can look at the map below for examples of oil depots and terminals that Russia now has to protect.
There are also numerous thermal power plants and power stations in St. Petersburg, which by striking Ukraine would really make the war visible in people’s everyday lives.
– There are so many targets that not all of them can be protected, Russia also has to be prioritized, says Lyytinen.
AFP, Reuters