Ukrainian drones targeted an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Saturday, according to Russian officials, marking the latest in a series of long-range attacks aimed at Russia's energy sector. Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed the strike in the Kirovsky district, situated on the Baltic Sea.
Russian air defenses reportedly intercepted 72 Ukrainian drones across St. Petersburg and its surrounding region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the attack as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia and stated that Ukrainian forces also hit a military target on the island of Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg. "The Ukrainian defense forces hit the port oil infrastructure, which earns money for the Russian war, and there were also hits on Kronstadt — an important military target," Zelenskyy said.
The Kirovsky district in St. Petersburg experienced a similar attack in June, preceding Russia's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Ukrainian attacks on the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, have also intensified. A strike on Saturday in Crimea resulted in one death and two injuries, including a child, according to Moscow-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously downplayed the impact of Ukraine's strikes on Russia's energy facilities, calling them "not critical." He suggested these attacks were an attempt by Ukraine to divert attention from battlefield losses, though analysts note that Russian advances have slowed in recent months.
Putin recently visited Russian military headquarters directing the war in Ukraine and was briefed on the capture of Kostyantynivka. He described the city's capture as a significant step toward taking the nearby Ukrainian strongholds of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region. However, Ukrainian officials dispute Russia's claims of capturing Kostyantynivka, with Maj. Andriy Kovalev of the General Staff accusing Moscow of spreading "outright disinformation."
Despite the attacks, Putin appears confident that the fuel crisis will not undermine his authority or public support for the war. Nevertheless, the strikes are increasingly bringing the conflict home to millions of Russians, challenging the narrative that the war does not affect ordinary citizens. The border city of Belgorod also reported a near-total power outage Saturday following overnight drone attacks.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, eight people, including two children, were injured when a Russian attack struck residential buildings in the Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, local authorities reported.