St Petersburg: Authorities in Russia’s second-largest city, St Petersburg, and the neighbouring Leningrad region said Ukrainian drones carried out a large-scale overnight attack, striking oil and port infrastructure. Officials reported no fatalities in St Petersburg, while regional authorities said dozens of drones were intercepted during the assault.

Oil terminal and port targeted

St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city of around 60 lakh people came under a “large-scale” drone attack overnight.

According to Beglov, the city’s oil terminal was struck during the attack. He said there were no casualties and that emergency services had dealt with the aftermath of the incident.

In the neighbouring Leningrad region, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said drones struck the port of Vysotsk, located about 170 km northwest of St Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland.

The port is an important logistics hub that handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Dozens of drones intercepted

Drozdenko said Russian air defence systems shot down 72 drones over the Leningrad region during the overnight attack.

Further south, the governor of the Pskov region reported that more than 30 drones had also been intercepted overnight.

Officials said the attacks caused minor damage in the region, including at a factory in the town of Velikiye Luki, and resulted in minor injuries.

Ukraine intensifies strikes

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy and transport infrastructure this year, targeting facilities that support Russia’s military and logistics network.

The strikes have contributed to fuel shortages in some parts of Russia and have increasingly reached areas far from the front lines.

Located around 900 km from Ukrainian-held territory, St Petersburg has occasionally been targeted by Ukrainian drones. Previous attacks have included strikes on the city’s oil terminal and a moored warship during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in June.

Situation under assessment

Russian authorities are continuing to assess the damage caused by the latest drone strikes, while emergency and security agencies remain on alert.

Ukraine has not immediately commented on the reported attack, and independent verification of the claims made by Russian officials was not immediately available.