Ukraine launched a significant drone attack targeting an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the port is a vital military target as it generates revenue for Russia's ongoing invasion.
According to Aleksandr Beglov, the governor of St. Petersburg, Russian air defenses intercepted 72 drones over the city and its surrounding region. He confirmed that the port was hit but reported no casualties.
"Last night, our Ukrainian long-range sanctions against Russia over this war reached targets near St. Petersburg," Zelensky said Saturday morning. "Ukraine's Defense Forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and there were also successful strikes on Kronstadt – an important military target."
Zelensky noted the distance from Ukraine's border to the targets exceeded 850 kilometers, thanking those involved in executing the long-range strike plan. These attacks on Russian oil facilities have become a near-daily occurrence, contributing to a fuel crisis and placing political pressure on the Kremlin.
St. Petersburg's Kirovsky district had previously been targeted in June, ahead of Russia's International Economic Forum. The Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, has also faced substantial strikes, leading local authorities to suspend gasoline sales to civilians.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has downplayed the impact of Ukraine's strikes on energy facilities, characterizing them as "not critical" and an attempt by Kyiv to divert attention from battlefield losses. Analysts, however, have noted a recent stagnation in Russian troop advancements.
Ukraine claims that approximately 43 percent of Russia's oil refinery capacity has been rendered inoperable due to its attacks, though this figure has not been independently verified. Kyiv maintains that Russian energy facilities are legitimate military objectives due to their role in funding the invasion, which began in February 2022.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has stated that these attacks "will not go unanswered."
In a related development, Russian forces reported capturing the city of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region after intense fighting. Putin described this capture as a crucial step toward taking the nearby cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Ukrainian officials, however, have denied Russia's claim of control over Kostyantynivka, calling it a "Russian lie."
The conflict has also affected Russian cities. The border city of Belgorod reportedly experienced a near-complete power outage on Saturday following overnight drone attacks. Meanwhile, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian attack on residential buildings on Saturday wounded eight people, including two children.