In brief
Early on Monday, Ukrainian drone strikes set fire to St Petersburg’s flagship oil terminal and the nearby Ruchyi depot, killing one and injuring at least five. The same attack also struck Ozon’s logistics center and the regional data hub of VKontakte, creating widespread service disruptions. Russian defence officials said over a thousand drones were shot down the night before, while the city’s governor reported damage to 12 apartment blocks and a temporary closure of Pulkovo Airport. The incident follows a broader campaign of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure aimed at crippling Moscow’s war machine. As winter looms, the assault raises alarm over power outages and the ongoing geopolitical tension between Kyiv, Washington and Moscow.
The first hours of Monday saw Ukrainian drones strike St Petersburg’s main oil terminal and the adjacent Ruchyi depot, setting the installations ablaze and resulting in a death and at least five injuries.
In the same raid Ozon, Russia’s Amazon‑style e‑commerce giant, had its logistics centre hit, sparking a fire but evacuating all staff unharmed. VKontakte, the local equivalent of Facebook, reported a drone strike on its regional data hub, though services returned to normal after brief outages.
The city’s governor, Alexander Beglov, confirmed that twelve apartment buildings and a couple of houses suffered damage and that Pulkovo Airport had to shut temporarily. Mobile internet in the area could also be impacted.
Russian defence ministry said more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight, underscoring the intensity of the current campaign. Ukraine has been targeting Russian energy infrastructure for months, claiming 76 hits on the sector since Donald Trump last week invoked an energy cease‑fire.
The strikes arrive as winter approaches and the dispute over Russia’s economy deepens. Washington’s recent diesel deal with Moscow and a temporary lift of sanctions have drawn criticism domestically and from Kyiv, which accuses the U.S. of feeding the Russian war machine.
Both sides continue to intensify attacks on each other’s strategic assets ahead of the cold‑weather season, with Russian forces noting that the first two weeks of October proved the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians in recent memory. Power outages remain a looming threat as the conflict extends into its fifth year.
