Deadly Drone Attack Strikes St. Petersburg Oil Facilities

At least one person was killed and five others injured in an overnight drone attack on St. Petersburg that targeted two oil facilities, according to regional Governor Alexander Beglov. The attacks also struck a logistics center belonging to Ozon, a major Russian e-commerce platform, and a data center operated by VKontakte, often referred to as Russia's Facebook equivalent.

Fires at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchyi oil depot were being extinguished following the assault. The governor also reported damage to 12 apartment buildings and two homes, and a temporary closure of Pulkovo Airport. Disruptions to mobile internet service were also deemed possible.

Social network VK confirmed that a drone targeted its regional data center but stated that its services remained operational. Ozon confirmed its local logistics center was hit by a drone, causing a fire. The company reported that staff were evacuated safely and no injuries occurred. Shipments to the affected location were temporarily suspended.

Ukraine has not yet officially commented on the strikes. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Saturday morning that Russia had attacked his country's energy sector 76 times since former President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" the previous week. Ukraine had paused its strikes on Russian oil facilities for three days following Trump's announcement, asserting that such facilities are a primary revenue stream for Moscow's war effort. Ukraine resumed these strikes earlier this week, drawing criticism from Trump, who called for a truce to facilitate a diesel supply deal he brokered with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This is not the first time St. Petersburg has been targeted by Ukrainian forces, although regions closer to Ukraine typically face more frequent attacks. The city's oil terminal was previously hit in July. Russia's defense ministry reported intercepting over 1,000 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight into Sunday.

Ukraine has been increasingly targeting Russia's energy infrastructure, as well as other sectors of the Russian economy, as the full-scale invasion enters its fifth year. Earlier this month, a series of attacks on Yandex, Russia's largest search engine, resulted in service disruptions. Both Russia and Ukraine have intensified strikes on each other's energy infrastructure ahead of winter, with Russia claiming to target military-related facilities. However, the UN noted that the first two weeks of October were the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians in years. Russian strikes on energy facilities have left hundreds of thousands without power, raising concerns about civilian hardship during the cold season.