Fire at Novatek Facility Due to Two Explosions

Russian news agency reported on Sunday, citing local officials, that two explosions caused a fire at a facility belonging to Novatek, Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer, located on the Baltic Sea. The agency added that the fire was contained to a fuel storage area with a capacity of 100 cubic meters. Earlier on Sunday, the Governor of the Leningrad Region stated that a fire had broken out at the Novatek facility in the port of Ust-Luga, amid reports of drone sightings in the area. Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Telegram, "There were no injuries as a result of the fire at the Novatek facility in Ust-Luga port. Employees were evacuated." Drozdenko did not mention the cause of the fire at the Novatek facility. Russian news site Shot reported on Telegram that residents in the area heard the sound of a drone followed by several explosions. St. Petersburg-based news agency Fontanka reported that at least two drones were spotted in the sky heading toward St. Petersburg before news of the fire at the facility emerged. Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports. Russia and Ukraine have targeted each other's energy infrastructure in strikes aimed at disrupting supply lines and logistics, striving to undermine the morale of the opposing side in a war that has been ongoing for nearly two years with no sign of ending. Drozdenko stated that a "high alert regime" was implemented in the region while officials convened for an emergency meeting.