St. petersburg: Ukraine attacked an oil terminal at the port of St. Petersburg early morning, Russian officials said Saturday, a development also confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov stated that the city experienced a substantial Ukrainian drone attack, with air defenses reportedly shooting down 72 drones. One of the drones crashed in the Peterhof area, but there were no casualties reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, Zelenskyy commented on the incident through the US social media platform X, stating: "Ukraine's Defense Forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and there were also successful strikes on Kronstadt - an important military target. The distance from Ukraine's state border is more than 850 kilometers." Local Telegram channels had previously reported a fire at the port's oil terminal following the overnight attack.
In a separate statement, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 389 Ukrainian drones overnight across several Russian regions, as well as the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea, and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The ministry later issued an afternoon statement detailing a thwarted combined Ukrainian attack on Russian territory, alleging the use of FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launcher systems, and long-range drones.
The ministry accused Ukraine of attempting to "distract attention" from Russia's recent actions in Kyiv and the capture of the city of Kostiantynivka, a claim that Zelenskyy has denied. The statement asserted that Russian air defenses downed over 500 aerial targets, including 10 FP-5 Flamingo missiles, 9 HIMARS rockets, and 494 Ukrainian drones. It warned that Zelenskyy's attempt to damage civilian facilities in Russia would not go unanswered by the Russian Armed Forces.
Ukrainian authorities have yet to respond to Russia's recent claims, and independent verification remains challenging due to the ongoing conflict.