Russia bolsters its anti-drone defenses after Ukraine attacks key oil ports

Russia vs Ukraine – (Web Desk) – Russia is strengthening air defenses. The focus is on key sites in the northwest. This comes after Ukraine hit major oil export ports recently.

Ukraine struck two major ports. These are Ust-Luga and Primorsk. Both ports are vital for Russia’s oil exports to the world.

Kyiv calls the attacks fair payback. Russia bombs Ukrainian cities every night. Ukraine says its strikes are a direct response to those attacks.

Ukraine has another goal too. It wants to cut Russia’s oil income. The Middle East war has pushed energy prices higher, benefiting Russia.

A local Russian governor took action. Alexander Drozdenko made a public announcement. He decided to send extra mobile defense units to protect key sites.

These units will guard against drone attacks. Military reservists will join the defense teams. Drozdenko shared this update in a public video message.

Signing up would be voluntary and under an initial three-year contract, he added.

President Vladimir Putin last year signed a law to allow reservists to guard oil refineries, which have also been heavily targeted by Ukrainian drones.

These have weighed on Russian oil shipments, even as the International Energy Agency said this week that Russia’s oil export revenues almost doubled to $19 billion in March.

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Oil loadings at Ust-Luga and Primorsk halved in the week following a Ukrainian drone raid on March 23, compared to the same period last year, according to the calculations by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a nonprofit.