Ukraine Unleashes One of Its Largest Drone Attacks of the War on Russia — St. Petersburg Oil Terminal Ablaze

Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone assaults of the year overnight into Sunday, setting fire to the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and other energy and logistics targets in direct defiance of President Donald Trump's demand that Kyiv stop striking Russian energy infrastructure.

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, annexed Crimea and the Black Sea — a staggering tally that, if accurate, would make it one of the largest single-night drone waves of the 4½-year war. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 512 of the drones were headed toward the capital region, most destroyed at a distance.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed fires at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal — a facility that can handle up to 12.5 million tons per year — along with the Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district. Ukraine's Fire Point company, which manufactures the drones used in the attack, said a fire had broken out on the terminal grounds.

The attack killed one person and wounded five others in the city, Beglov said, with 12 apartment buildings and two private homes damaged. A logistics center belonging to Russian retailer Ozon caught fire and was evacuated; social network VK said one of its data centers in the Leningrad region was also targeted but that its services remained available. Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said drone debris damaged vehicles and cut power to about 20,000 people.

The strikes land squarely in the middle of a fraying US-Ukraine relationship. Trump announced on Oct. 11 that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to an "energy ceasefire" — though neither side ever acknowledged such a deal — and last week called Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries a "disgrace," arguing they were driving up fuel prices ahead of next month's US midterm elections. Ukraine briefly halted energy strikes, then confirmed Thursday it had resumed them. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order waiving sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy, including Russian diesel imports.

Russia answered the drone wave with its own barrage. Eleven people were killed and nearly 50 injured across Ukraine in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, according to Ukrainian authorities, including what officials called a massive attack on energy facilities in the Odesa region. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Russia has attacked Ukraine's energy and oil-and-gas sectors 76 times since Trump announced the energy ceasefire.

"America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements," Zelensky wrote on X. "On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting."

Zelensky also reiterated that Ukraine's military access to the Starlink and Starshield satellite systems remains curtailed, limiting its drone defenses — a claim the Trump administration denies.

Sources

CNN: Ukraine defies Trump and launches one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia this year

Arab News: Official: 1 killed, 5 injured in Ukrainian drone attack on Russian city

New Indian Express: Blaze at St Petersburg oil sites as Kyiv launches more than 1,000 drones at Russia

Anadolu Agency: Russia, Ukraine exchange overnight strikes, killing 3 and injuring 21

Kyiv Independent: Massive Ukrainian drone attack hit oil facility, bridge, and data centers in St. Petersburg