Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Terminal
Ukraine has carried out one of its deepest strikes inside Russia, hitting a major oil terminal in St Petersburg. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attack, describing the facility as key “infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war.”
The strike also targeted a Russian naval base in Kronstadt, home to the Baltic Fleet. St Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov admitted the oil terminal was hit during what he called a “massive” drone attack, though he reported no casualties. He said 72 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the city and the wider Leningrad region, urging residents to stay indoors until the threat was lifted.
Videos posted by Zelensky showed drones flying toward targets and thick black smoke rising from the area. The BBC later verified that the oil terminal was struck. Ukraine’s military described it as one of Russia’s largest, capable of producing 12.5 million tonnes of petroleum products each year.
Ukraine has intensified long range drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure in recent months. Officials in Kyiv claim nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity has been disabled, causing widespread fuel shortages. President Vladimir Putin last week made a rare admission of those shortages and has since signed a law aimed at boosting supplies to the domestic market.
Ukraine argues that Russian oil and gas facilities are legitimate military targets because Moscow relies heavily on fossil fuel exports to finance its war. Russia has not publicly commented on the latest strikes.
The attacks come as both sides seek to gain the upper hand ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Turkey. Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down more than 500 Ukrainian drones and missiles overnight and accused Zelensky of trying to “distract attention” from what it called failures on the battlefield. It warned that attacks on civilian facilities “will not go unanswered.”
Meanwhile, fighting continues in eastern Ukraine. On Friday, Putin claimed Russian forces had captured the town of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region. But Ukrainian military spokesman Major Andriy Kovalyov told the BBC the town remains under Ukrainian control, though he admitted small Russian infantry groups had infiltrated positions before being destroyed.
Zelensky dismissed Putin’s claim as false, saying if the town were truly under Russian control, the Kremlin leader should have no problem meeting him there to discuss peace. He added that “the truth is very different from Putin’s words.”
Kostyantynivka is part of Ukraine’s heavily fortified “fortress belt” in Donetsk, most of which is occupied by Russia. The town’s defence is seen as critical to Ukraine’s ability to hold the line in the east.
