In a significant escalation of its long-range strike campaign, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack overnight on a major oil terminal in Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Saturday. The operation, which also reportedly targeted a key Russian naval base, marks one of the deepest and most high-profile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure since the war began.
Zelensky described the oil terminal as critical “infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war,” posting video footage verified by international outlets showing a drone streaking toward its target before a towering plume of black smoke erupted over the facility. Ukraine’s military identified the site as “one of the largest” oil terminals in Russia, capable of producing 12.5 million metric tons of petroleum products annually. The strike came as part of a sustained Ukrainian campaign to cripple Russia’s fuel supply chain, with Kyiv claiming nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity has been “disabled”—a figure that remains unverified by independent sources.
St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov confirmed the oil terminal was hit during what he called a “massive” drone assault, reporting that 72 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the city and the surrounding Leningrad region. While no casualties were reported, Beglov urged residents to stay indoors and warned of potential disruptions to mobile internet services. The attack struck approximately 850 kilometers (528 miles) from Ukraine’s border, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to project power deep into Russian territory. Ukraine also claimed to have hit a naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt, though Moscow has not publicly commented on that allegation.
The strike comes at a critical moment for Russia’s domestic fuel market. President Vladimir Putin, who last week made a rare public admission of fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian attacks, signed into law a bill Saturday aimed at boosting supplies to the domestic market. The admission marked a stark acknowledgment of the pressure Ukraine’s campaign is placing on Russia’s war economy. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Ukraine has argued that Russian oil and gas facilities are legitimate military targets, as Moscow relies heavily on fossil fuel exports to fund its war effort. The intensified drone strikes have led to widespread fuel shortages inside Russia, further straining its military logistics and civilian infrastructure.
In a separate development, Ukraine’s military denied reports that the key eastern town of Kostyantynivka had fallen under full Russian control. Major Andriy Kovalyov, a military spokesman, told the BBC that the town “remains under the control of the Defence Forces of Ukraine,” pushing back against claims of a major battlefield setback. As the conflict enters its fifth year, Saturday’s strikes signal that Ukraine is increasingly willing to take the war directly to Russia’s economic and military heartland, raising the stakes for both sides.