In brief
Late in the night, a Ukrainian drone strike hit St Petersburg’s oil terminal and a nearby depot, causing explosions and setting the infrastructure ablaze. At least one person was killed and five others were injured. The attack also targeted an Ozon logistics centre and a VKontakte data hub, raising concerns over the safety of commercial infrastructure amid an escalating conflict. Russia’s defence ministry logged over 1,000 drones intercepted during the same period. Both sides have intensified attacks on each other’s energy assets in the lead‑up to winter, adding pressure on Russia’s war economy.
At least one person was killed in an overnight attack that struck two of St Petersburg’s key oil facilities.
Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed that fires were being extinguished at the oil terminal and the Ruchyi depot, and at least five people suffered injuries.
Other targets included an Ozon logistics centre – Russia’s Amazon – and a data centre owned by VKontakte, the country’s Facebook analogue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, since the US President’s “energy ceasefire” last week, Russia had struck Ukraine’s energy sector 76 times while Ukraine had paused strikes for three days to comply with the truce. He added that the strikes had resumed later in the week, prompting criticism from leaders including former President Barack Obama.
St Petersburg has faced repeated attacks, with the oil terminal last hit in July. The Russian defence ministry reported shooting down more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight.
The governor also mentioned damage to 12 apartment blocks and two houses, the temporary closure of Pulkovo Airport, and potential mobile‑internet disruptions.
Both VKontakte and Ozon reported that their facilities were impacted but that services remained largely operational; Ozon’s centre had been evacuated with no casualties.
Ukraine has broadened its campaign to disrupt Russia’s economic infrastructure, including a recent wave of attacks on Yandex that caused service outages.
International tensions have escalated, especially after the US elected a new president who renewed a controversial diesel import deal with Russia to curb energy prices. Critics argue it amounts to supporting the Russian war machine.
In total, Russia launched nearly 2,700 drones, 1,700 aerial bombs and 66 missiles last week, prioritising energy sites in its arsenal.
