MOSCOW/KIEV (dpa-AFX) – A terminal on the premises of the Russian natural gas producer Novatek in the Leningrad region caught fire on Sunday night. There were no injuries caused by the fire in the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, the staff was evacuated, said the region’s governor, Alexander Drozdenko, according to the Tass news agency on Sunday. High alert has been declared in the Kingisepp district. Ust-Luga is close to the border with NATO member Estonia.
The Ukrainian online media “Ukrainska Pravda” reported on Sunday afternoon, citing sources in the leadership in Kiev, that the incident was the result of a “special operation” by the Ukrainian secret service. The terminal was attacked with drones and set on fire.
There was currently no confirmation or explanation from the Russian side. However, the authorities in the Leningrad region called for increased vigilance around critical infrastructure objects on Sunday evening, the state agency Tass reported. The guards and security authorities were instructed to “destroy unmanned flying objects when they approach.”
“Ukrainskaya Pravda” published videos on the X platform (formerly Twitter) in which the gas plant that caught fire can be seen. The footage shows flames shooting high into the night sky.
Just last week, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, a drone from Ukraine was intercepted in the Leningrad region. She is said to have caused no damage. The Soviet name Leningrad is still used in Russia for the area surrounding St. Petersburg.
Drozdenko added that the Emergencies Ministry and local fire brigade units were involved in the extinguishing work at the gas plant. According to the information, Novatek processes gas in Ust-Luga, among other things, into fuel. From there the products are exported to international markets. The complex was put into operation in 2013.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against its neighboring country Ukraine for almost two years. As a result, Russian territory is repeatedly attacked – especially in the border region and against military targets and important Russian infrastructure. The number of victims and damage are disproportionate to the consequences of the war in the attacked Ukraine./hme/DP/he