The Kremlin on Monday blamed Ukraine for an attack on a gas terminal at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga over the weekend.
The facility belonging to Novatek, Russia’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, was set ablaze on Sunday in the western port town, close to the border with Estonia.
“The Kyiv regime continues to show its bestial face. They are striking civilian infrastructure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday when asked about the incident.
The gas terminal, located in the northwestern Leningrad region, is more than 850 kilometers from Ukraine.
The fire was the latest in a series of apparent Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy facilities in recent weeks.
Last week, Kyiv claimed responsibility for two other attacks, including one in the same region where Ust-Luga is located.
Both Russia and Ukraine are using explosive-laden drones to attempt to strike targets deep behind the front lines, and both side’s armed forces regularly claim to have shot down enemy aircraft over their territory.
“The Defense Ministry and air defense units are taking all necessary measures to protect from such attacks,” Peskov told reporters in a briefing call on Monday.
Leningrad region authorities said there were no injuries as a result of Sunday’s fire and that all personnel had been evacuated.