Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones in one of its largest aerial attacks on Russia, striking oil facilities in St. Petersburg and setting fires at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchi oil depot. The strikes also targeted a logistics center for Russian retailer Ozon and a data center for tech giant VK, according to local officials. At least one person was killed and five others were injured in the attack, which damaged apartment buildings and disrupted mobile internet service.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported intercepting 1,015 Ukrainian drones across 15 Russian regions, the annexed Crimean Peninsula, and the Black Sea. St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed fires at the oil terminal and Ruchi depot, while Pulkovo Airport temporarily closed due to the attack. Two transformer substations in the Leningrad region were also struck, leaving about 20,000 people without electricity.
Ukraine had paused strikes on Russian oil infrastructure for three days following an “energy ceasefire” announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on October 11, which he described as an agreement between Russia and Ukraine. However, Ukraine resumed attacks earlier this week, citing continued Russian strikes on its energy sector. Since the ceasefire announcement, Kyiv reported 76 Russian attacks on its energy sites.
In Zaporizhzhia, a Russian strike killed one woman and wounded at least two others, including a 6-year-old girl, damaging two apartment buildings, 18 cars, and an educational institution. Russian officials did not immediately comment on the Zaporizhzhia attack.
Trump’s ceasefire announcement followed his executive order waiving sanctions on Russian diesel exports, a move criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The U.S. President has faced growing pressure to curb Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities, which he has called a “disgrace”, while simultaneously seeking to lower U.S. fuel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Zelensky has accused Russia of violating the ceasefire by continuing attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The St. Petersburg Oil Terminal was last struck in July, and the city’s governor noted that 12 apartment buildings and two homes were damaged in the latest attack. Ozon confirmed its logistics hub was targeted but reported no injuries, while VK stated its data center services remained operational despite initial outages. Social media reports indicated possible disruptions to mobile internet in the region.
Russian state media TASS and independent outlets confirmed the scale of the drone interception, though the claims could not be independently verified. The attack marks one of the largest aerial offensives of the war, with drones reaching deep into Russian territory, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.