A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded others in St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region on Sunday, setting fire to an oil export terminal, an oil depot and a logistics hub, local officials said.
Gov. Alexander Beglov said fires broke out at the Petersburg Oil Terminal, the city’s Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses. Russian retailer Ozon said its logistics hub in the city was burning, and the internet company VK said drones hit its data center in the Leningrad region.
The strike was part of an overnight barrage that Russia’s Defense Ministry said involved 1,015 Ukrainian drones, among the largest aerial attacks of the war.
What We Know So Far
VK said its services kept running normally for users after the attack. Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point said Ukraine’s military had struck a VK data center near St. Petersburg.
The Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed the 1,015 drones over 15 Russian regions, the annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea.
Ukraine also came under fire. A woman was killed and at least two other people were wounded, including a 6 year old girl, when Russia launched two attacks on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials said. Mykhailo Semikin, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, said two apartment buildings, 18 cars and an educational institution were damaged.
What Authorities Are Saying
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that Russia is answering Ukrainian attacks with systematic, large scale strikes. Asked how Moscow might respond to the attack on St. Petersburg, he said Kyiv was “resisting” but could not change “the course of events.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Russia has hit Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sectors 76 times in the week since President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire. Overnight alone, he said, energy facilities in four regions were attacked and tens of thousands of families remain without power. He accused Moscow of trying to cause a blackout.
“It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance,” Zelenskyy wrote. He said the war continues because of Russia’s invasion and not because Ukraine is defending itself.
Trump told reporters Saturday at a fundraising dinner at his Florida estate that they do not yet know his decision on further sanctions on Russia. On Friday night he signed an executive order waiving planned restrictions, citing the national interest. “It’s a very good decision,” he said.
Differing Accounts
The sources differ on the number of injured. Reuters, citing local authorities, said 15 people were hurt. The AP and The Moscow Times, both citing Beglov, said five were wounded. Reports agree that one person died.
Territorial claims also conflict. Russia’s General Staff chief, Valery Gerasimov, told Putin on Friday that Russian forces captured 92 Ukrainian settlements, including the eastern town of Dobropillia, and more than 1,800 square kilometers (695 square miles) since the beginning of September. Ukrainian General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovaliov rejected this, saying Ukrainian forces have “liberated more territory” since the start of fall than Russia captured.
Why This Matters
The strike reached beyond oil infrastructure to a logistics center and a data center in Russia’s second largest city, and came as Trump has criticized Kyiv for hitting Russian oil sites. The AP noted the attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington.
Trump announced the energy ceasefire on Oct. 11, in the 4½ year war, without giving details. Zelenskyy said Ukraine initially heeded it, but Kyiv confirmed Thursday that it had resumed attacks on Russian oil after a three day pause. Zelenskyy said Russia took signals of sanctions relief as proof that its bet on war is paying off.
What Happens Next
Russia has not said how it will respond beyond Peskov’s comments. Trump has not announced his decision on further sanctions. Officials have not given a final casualty count or damage assessment for the St. Petersburg sites.
Sources: Reuters, the Associated Press and The Moscow Times
