MOSCOW — Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and a Baltic Sea port near St. Petersburg in one of Kyiv's deepest attacks into Russian territory, Russian and Ukrainian officials said, as Ukraine continued a campaign targeting energy infrastructure that it says helps finance Moscow's war effort.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city came under a "large-scale" overnight drone attack and confirmed that the city's oil terminal was hit. He said there were no casualties and that emergency services had dealt with the immediate aftermath.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia's Leningrad region, said drones also struck the port of Vysotsk, about 170 km (105 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland. The port handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas. Drozdenko said Russian air defenses shot down 72 drones over the region during the attack.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces had targeted oil infrastructure near St. Petersburg as well as a military facility in the Kronstadt area, describing the operation as part of Kyiv's strategy to strike assets supporting Russia's military campaign.
Reuters could not independently verify the extent of the damage at either site or Ukraine's account of the military target. Russian authorities did not report casualties or provide a detailed assessment of damage to the facilities.
The attack temporarily disrupted activity in the region. Russian aviation authorities imposed restrictions at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport during the drone threat before operations later resumed, according to official statements.
The strike marked one of the latest long-range Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, which Kyiv says is intended to reduce Moscow's ability to sustain military operations. Russia has acknowledged repeated drone attacks on oil facilities this year, while maintaining that most drones are intercepted by its air defenses.
Moscow has intensified its own long-range missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure in recent months. Both sides have increasingly relied on drones capable of striking hundreds of kilometers behind the front lines as the conflict continues into its fifth year.
Russian officials said emergency crews had completed initial response work at the affected sites and that no fatalities were recorded. Ukrainian authorities did not release additional operational details, consistent with their policy of limiting public comment on ongoing military operations.
