Ukraine conducted a significant drone strike on a major oil terminal in St. Petersburg as part of an extensive overnight attack on Russia’s second-largest city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on social media that the strike targeted the port oil infrastructure in St. Petersburg, which contributes to Russia’s war efforts, along with hitting the Kronstadt naval base located approximately 528 miles from Ukraine’s border.
The drone attacks by Ukraine on Russia’s critical energy infrastructure have been heightened, resulting in the claimed disabling of nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity. This escalation follows a Russian airstrike on Kyiv that resulted in the loss of 30 lives, marking the deadliest attack on Ukraine this year.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed the city faced a massive drone attack, acknowledging the impact on the oil terminal without any reported casualties. Additionally, Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the surrounding Leningrad region, mentioned a drone striking the Vysotsk port area without detailing the consequences.
Moscow responded to the attacks by claiming to have downed close to 500 Ukrainian drones and 10 Flamingo missiles from Kyiv overnight. In a separate development, Ukraine refuted Moscow’s assertion of capturing the strategic city of Kostyantynivka, emphasizing that the city remains under the control of the Ukrainian Defence Forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in military attire, expressed gratitude to troops for the alleged capture of Kostyantynivka, a town with a pre-war population of 78,000 that has been a long-standing target for Moscow. The Russian army has been employing tactics similar to those used in capturing Pokrovsk in late 2025 to secure positions in Kostyantynivka.
Kostyantynivka serves as a crucial point on the path to major Ukrainian-held cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, aligning with the Kremlin’s objectives in the Donbas region. Ukrainian army spokesman Andriy Kovalyov affirmed that Ukrainian forces maintain control over designated defensive lines despite reports of Russian troop infiltration in Kostyantynivka.
Although Russian authorities claimed full control over Kostyantynivka, Ukrainian President Zelensky dismissed the assertion as a falsehood, challenging Putin to engage in diplomatic talks to end the ongoing conflict. Putin has consistently rejected negotiations with Zelensky, signaling Moscow’s intention to forcibly take control of eastern Ukraine.
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