A Ukrainian drone attacked an oil pipeline near the key Russian port of Primorsk early yesterday, with fuel leaking into the Baltic Sea, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was afraid a prolonged war in the Middle East could further erode US’ support for Ukraine.
Ukraine confirmed it staged the latest strike on the port, near the border with Finland, which plays an important role in Russia’s oil exports.
Russian air defenses shot down 19 drones in the Leningrad region and debris from one “damaged a section of the oil pipeline near the port of Primorsk, and the pipeline is being safely burned out,” Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko initially said on Telegram, before two hours later saying that the area was not damaged.
Photo: AP
“The fuel leak occurred due to a shrapnel hit on one of the fuel tanks. The consequences have already been dealt with,” he added.
No casualties were reported.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in the past few weeks in a bid to reduce Moscow’s earnings from oil exports, as the Middle East war pushes up prices.
Meanwhile, Ukraine desperately needs more US-made Patriot air defense systems to help it counter Russia’s daily barrages, Zelenskiy said in an interview late on Saturday in Istanbul.
Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago has killed thousands of civilians. It has also targeted Ukraine’s energy supply to disrupt industrial production of Ukraine’s newly developed drones and missiles, while also denying civilians heat and running water in winter.
“We have to recognize that we are not the priority for today,” Zelenskiy said. “That’s why I am afraid a long [Iran] war will give us less support.”
The latest US-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv ended in February with no sign of a breakthrough.
Zelenskiy, who has accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations” while it presses on with its invasion, said Ukraine remains in contact with US negotiators about a potential deal to end the war and has continued to press for stronger security guarantees.
However, even those discussions reflect a broader loss of focus from Ukraine, he said.
His most immediate concern are the Patriots — essential for intercepting Russian ballistic missiles — as Ukraine still lacks an effective alternative, Zelenskiy said.
The US systems were never delivered in sufficient quantities to begin with, and if the Iran war does not end soon, “the package — which is not very big for us — I think will be smaller and smaller day by day,” Zelenskiy said.
“That’s why, of course, we are afraid,” he said.
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