Moscow: Russian officials said a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike overnight hit an oil terminal in St Petersburg and struck the port of Vysotsk in the neighbouring Leningrad region, while air defences shot down dozens of drones, Reuters reported.
St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city of six million had been subjected to a “large‑scale” drone attack and that the city’s oil termina
l was struck. He added there were no casualties and that authorities had “dealt with” the aftermath.
Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said the port of Vysotsk — about 170 km northwest of St Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland — was struck by drones. He said the facility moves oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.
Drozdenko reported that air-defence units in the region intercepted 72 drones. Kyiv has stepped up operations against Russian energy sites this year, which officials blame for causing fuel shortages in parts of Russia.
St Petersburg, nearly 900 km (560 miles) from areas held by Ukrainian forces, has been a periodic target for drone attacks. Earlier incidents included strikes on an oil terminal in the city and an assault on a moored warship during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in June.
Further south, authorities in Pskov region said they shot down more than 30 drones overnight. They described only minor damage and a handful of injuries, including damage to a factory in Velikiye Luki.