In brief
Ukrainian UAVs level fire at the St Petersburg oil terminal, claiming one life and injuring five. The strike also damaged a local logistics centre run by Ozon and a VKontakte data hub. Russian officials report disruptions to residential areas and airport operations, while Moscow defends its energy‑sector attacks. The incident signals a grim escalation as both sides target critical infrastructure ahead of the harsh winter ahead.
Late on Sunday, Ukrainian drone attacks struck St Petersburg’s key oil terminal, setting the facility ablaze and causing a fire that consumed the terminal’s perimeter.
The assault also hit Ozon’s local logistics centre and a regional VKontakte data hub, forcing evacuations but leaving no additional casualties reported from those sites.
According to Governor Alexander Beglov, at least one person was killed and five others injured in the strike, with fires battling at both the oil terminal and the Ruchyi depot. The governor also reported damage to twelve apartment blocks, two houses, and a temporary shutdown of Pulkovo Airport, along with reported mobile‑internet outages.
Ukraine’s spokesperson has not yet commented on the strike, but President Zelensky earlier this week said Russian forces had targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure 76 times since the Trump‑Putin energy ceasefire deal. The attack comes amid a renewed focus on crippling Russia’s energy revenue and supplies amid a prolonged conflict that has already seen nearly 2,700 drones and 1,700 aerial bombs flown over Russian soil in the past week.
While Moscow acknowledges frequent Ukrainian strikes on energy sites as legitimate military targets, the United Nations warns that increasing pressure on Russian power grids could lead to widespread winter hardship for civilians. The strike underscores the escalating volatility as both sides target critical infrastructure ahead of the harsh winter ahead.
