Russian Propaganda Claims Drone Route to Ust-Luga via Poland

March 28, 2026March 28, 2026

On the night against Saturday, Ukraine’s Defense Forces put strikes on enemy ports Primorsk and Ust-Luga on pause. But the topic that already started spinning up in enemy media is very hard to stop. Why precisely didn’t air defense systems work? You need to say something, because this topic doesn’t quiet down for them due to natural circumstances, and it became critically important to invent a lie about the drone route to Ust-Luga. Fires there are such that port reservoirs during burning send smoke columns toward the “cradle of revolution”. St. Petersburg authorities are forced to announce unfavorable weather conditions due to air quality. Burns well, and even from space this looks impressive.

Moreover, enemy press writes that their oil exporters prepare to announce force majeure on oil supply contracts because important equipment got knocked out. Additionally, due to the attack on the port flagship in oil product export terms — Ust-Luga — a ban on their export gets introduced from April 1. But probably the matter here isn’t only in port infrastructure that suffered significant damage but also in almost daily attacks going on enemy refineries.

All this needed some explanation to the population so it wouldn’t ask stupid questions about air defense and other things unpleasant for the tsar. So enemy propaganda started spinning up versions that Ukrainian drones couldn’t possibly cross the European part of the Rabid Federation from south to north unnoticed and hit indicated objects. This could happen exclusively because Ukrainian drones got launched from Poland, and the drone route to Ust-Luga went through Estonia. Supposedly flight time calculated in minutes, and not expecting such trickery, air defense simply didn’t manage to intercept them.

How Orcs Exposed Their Own Lie

The Telegram channel “Mash” wrote about this first. After this, Russian propagandist resources Rambler and EADaily started spreading this narrative. Now it spreads on federal TV channels.

This lie could have been not even refuted — sufficient to use the rule “if said by a Russian = it’s a lie”. But independent OSINTers and analysts point out that Orcs themselves during each raid issued data about “shot down drones” of Ukraine precisely in oblasts located exactly along the course of their movement from Ukraine. Moreover, they “shot them down” precisely at the time needed for flight to targets. Put simply, analysts exposed Orcs in lies with their own information they voluntarily published online.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces today refuted this theory with their active actions. Information became known that after the strike on Pootin’s fiefdom — Kirishi oil refinery — they attacked Yaroslavl refinery this night. As visible in photos, it burns cheerfully there, and you can even say life-affirmingly. From Ukraine’s borders it sits at approximately 700 kilometers distance. In other words, 200-250 kilometers closer than St. Petersburg assets but much farther from Estonia’s borders. Therefore, ravings about drones from Poland are no longer relevant.

S-400/500 Systems “Didn’t Manage” Again

To reach Yaroslavl, good birds* flew through the Swamps’ central oblasts. As now clear, air defense there “didn’t manage” the same as in the same Primorsk. By the way, the same Moscow gets covered by the most perfect and newest anti-aircraft complexes S-400/500. As Orcs themselves tell, they’re capable of detecting targets at hundreds of kilometers distance.

Data Orcs themselves declared for press:

Detection range for S-400 “Triumph” complex:

• Up to 600 km — maximum detection range for large targets;
• 300-400 km — typical detection range for aircraft with ordinary RCS (radar cross-section);
• 150-250 km — for low-observable targets (stealth), depending on conditions;

For S-500 “Prometheus” complex, precise parameters are classified, but according to open data:

• 600+ km — confirmed detection and strike range;
• 800-1000 km — estimates of a number of analysts and media (unofficial);
• Capable of tracking exo-atmospheric targets (altitudes above 100-200 km);

In other words, at the distance from Moscow to Yaroslavl (250 kilometers), enemy anti-aircraft means were obliged to detect the drone attack. Even if they themselves didn’t spend ammunition on them, they probably would have transmitted instructions to SAM systems located along the drone route. Moreover, they were forced to direct aviation at drones, which, considering targets’ slow speed, simply is obliged to come out on them and work them over. But in dry residue, Yaroslavl refinery burns.

Tightening Pressure on Moscow and St. Petersburg

This plant is interesting because it and Ryazan refinery are the main fuel suppliers for Moscow region. As we know, after a series of strikes, Ryazan refinery mourned very long. As far as can be understood, it still hasn’t managed to fully restore its oil processing capacity. So we won’t be surprised that tomorrow or the day after, it will arrive there too.

In other words, through damaging these plants, Ukraine’s Defense Forces not only strengthened pressure on St. Petersburg and Moscow but also conclusively debunked Russian lies about the drone route to Ust-Luga coming via Poland. After all, Pootin talked about how the population madly wants war continuation. Well, if continuation, then continuation.

*Good Birds – slang for strike drones. Why “good”? Because they bring “warmth and light” to enemy military factories, ammunition depots, and oil refineries. Sarcastic? Of course. Effective? Even more so.