Moscow, 29 March (H.S.):

Ukraine hammered Russia's vital energy infrastructure Saturday night with massive drone strikes that sparked raging infernos at the Primorsk and Ust-Luga oil terminals on the Baltic Sea shutting down crude and petroleum product loadings in a blow that threatens global markets already jittery from Middle East chaos.

The assaults hit Transneft storage tanks at Ust-Luga sending thick black smoke billowing high enough to spot from Finland while Primorsk's fires still smolder after repeated hits. No casualties or confirmed spills emerged but authorities sealed Ust-Luga tight with several tanks ablaze as the complex handles massive daily flows – Primorsk alone capable of over 1 million barrels a day last year shipping 16.8 million tons from there and 32.9 million from Ust-Luga.

Ukraine's SBU claimed precision damage to loading stands and tank farms designed to slash Russia's war chest and forex earnings with these the biggest strikes yet on Moscow's export lifelines. Stray drones even clipped Estonia's power station and Latvia with no major harm while Russia's Defense Ministry boasted downing 389 Ukrainian UAVs overnight including over Moscow.

The four-year deadlock grinds on but Kyiv's stepped-up refinery and pipeline hits signal economic warfare as peace talks stall fueling oil price volatility atop Iran tensions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar