(UST-LUGA, LENINGRAD OBLAST, RUSSIA) – Ukrainian long range drones have struck key installations at the Novatek complex in the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, damaging a stable gas condensate fractionation unit and a combined hydrocracking unit.
The facility processes gas condensate into naphtha, jet fuel, gas oil, marine fuel components and liquefied petroleum gas. A significant portion of this output is exported by sea. In 2022, the complex produced approximately 6.8 million tonnes of marketable products.
A strike on two key links impacts the entire processing chain and the export capacity of the Russian energy sector. Reuters reported that the plant suffered damage, though the full extent remains unclear. Industry sources indicated that two of three processing units at the Novatek facility were hit.
Novatek is Russia’s main exporter of liquefied natural gas and is owned by billionaires close to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Ust-Luga is one of Russia’s largest ports on the Baltic Sea, handling significant volumes of oil, petroleum products, coal, fertilisers, liquefied gas and other cargo.
Meanwhile, Moscow has again refused any ceasefire. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that Russia has no intention of halting hostilities along the current line of contact. At the same time, the so called Russian Ministry of Defence published a photograph of a Shahed drone with the caption: “Like snow on the head.”
The message continued: “In winter you will be frozen.” Given the effectiveness of recent strikes on Russian oil refineries, the Russian Ministry of Defence should worry less about freezing Ukrainians and more about whether it will have fuel to power the equipment it intends to use.
The same applies to Russians themselves freezing in response. For those who ask what they did to deserve this, the message from the Russian Ministry of Defence serves as a reminder to recall every time retaliation arrives.
On the eve of these developments, solitary pickets by communists appeared near the Russian Ministry of Defence building in Moscow. Participants stood with a placard reading: “Friends, let us sit down at the table of peaceful negotiations. We stand for peace and call on all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities, conclude a truce and begin peace negotiations.”
The activist from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation who organised the picket had, in spring 2014, been among those who travelled to Donetsk to ignite the war.
A new wave of fuel crisis continues to engulf Russia. Petrol imports from partner countries have not resolved the market problem. Kilometre long queues, shortages and widespread discontent persist.
Motorists travelling along the M4 Don motorway between Moscow and Krasnodar reported driving nearly 900 kilometres without finding petrol, only diesel fuel. In Rostov, drivers spent hours searching for fuel, with many stations lacking 95 octane petrol or having queues stretching a kilometre.
One driver reported that on 13th August, three fuel stations before the Crimean Bridge had no petrol. Another motorist observed that the situation in Moscow appeared to be deteriorating again, with long queues at Rosneft and Gazprom stations.
The fuel shortages have been exacerbated by the systematic Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, severe discontent has emerged over the collapse of Russian grain exports following strikes on Russian ports. Russia has begun to feel the consequences of its systematic attacks on Odesa.
In Novorossiysk, a crane used for loading barges was reportedly destroyed, likely halting grain acceptance for an extended period. Farmers and traders reported that southern ports have stopped accepting agricultural products. Grain prices have fallen below production costs, leaving producers with nowhere to sell their harvest.
One farmer questioned whether it would be worth sowing next year at all, stating that current prices make production unprofitable. Another trader noted that exporters have already purchased low protein grain and that if acceptance resumes, it will likely be restricted to protein content of 12.5 percent or higher.
The situation in Sochi has deteriorated further. The tourist season has collapsed, with numerous businesses closing along the main streets of Adler. Restaurants, cafés and shops have shut down, with rental signs appearing on multiple premises.
One resident walking along the Adler embankment observed numerous vacant pavilions and closed establishments, including a restaurant that had operated for many years. The individual expressed shock at the scale of closures, describing the scene as painful and offensive.
The footage was released by Ukraine365.
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