Key facts
- Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.
- The city's oil terminal and port infrastructure were hit.
- President Zelenskyy claimed responsibility, calling the strikes 'long-range sanctions'.
- Russia claimed to have shot down 72 drones over the region.
- No casualties were reported in St. Petersburg.
Ukraine launched a significant overnight drone attack targeting St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region, striking the city's oil terminal and port infrastructure. St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed the "large-scale" drone attack hit the oil terminal, reporting no casualties.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, stated that a drone struck the area of Vysotsk port, located about 170km north-west of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea, which handles oil, grain, coal, and liquefied natural gas. Drozdenko reported that 72 drones were shot down over the region, with minor damage in several settlements, but provided no specific details on the impact at Vysotsk port.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed responsibility for the attacks, describing them as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia. He stated that Ukrainian defence forces targeted “port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war” and also hit Kronstadt, a significant military target over 850km from Ukraine’s border. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the strikes on energy facilities as “not critical.”
Ukraine has intensified its strikes on Russian energy infrastructure this year, causing damage to refineries. Separately, the governor of Russia’s Bryansk region and the Russian-installed governor of Crimea reported drone strikes that killed one person in each region. The governor of Pskov region also reported over 30 drones shot down overnight with minor damage and injuries.
In eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy denied Russian claims that the city of Kostiantynivka had been captured by Moscow’s military, calling it a “Russian lie.” Ukraine’s general staff stated that military units continue defensive operations in the town and its approaches.