St Petersburg: Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces carried out an overnight drone strike on a major oil terminal in St Petersburg, describing it as critical infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war effort.
Ukraine also claimed to have targeted a key naval base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt, located near St Petersburg.
St Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov confirmed that the city came under a “massive” drone attack and acknowledged that the oil terminal was hit. He said no casualties were reported.
According to Ukrainian officials, the oil terminal is one of Russia’s largest petroleum facilities, with an annual production capacity of 12.5 million tonnes of petroleum products.
Ukraine says it has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, claiming nearly 43 per cent of Russia’s oil refining capacity has been disrupted. That figure has not been independently verified.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently acknowledged fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian attacks and signed legislation aimed at strengthening domestic fuel supplies.
Governor Beglov said Russian air defences intercepted 72 Ukrainian drones over St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region during the overnight attack.
