Ukraine drone strikes hit oil sites and naval base in St Petersburg region
Russian officials reported dozens of drones over Leningrad, while Kyiv said it hit oil infrastructure and the Kronstadt naval base.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Ukraine launched a large overnight drone attack on the St Petersburg area, striking oil and military facilities deep inside Russia, according to officials from both countries. The attacks matter because Kyiv is extending a campaign against Russian energy infrastructure that it says helps finance Moscow’s war.
Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said Russian air defences shot down 72 unmanned aerial vehicles over the region on Saturday. Russia’s Defence Ministry said 389 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight across the country, while confirming strikes only in the wider Leningrad region.
Russian authorities briefly stopped flights at Pulkovo Airport and restricted municipal mobile internet services, according to regional officials. The measures were aimed at disrupting drones that may rely on cellular-backed navigation systems, officials said.
St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said one drone came down on the grounds of the Peterhof Palace complex, an 18th-century landmark outside the city. He also said another drone hit an oil terminal in the Kirovsky district.
Regional officials said debris hit an oil terminal, a nearby port and the palace complex. Drozdenko said drone debris also fell near the port of Vysotsk, close to the Finnish border, but he did not provide casualty figures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had attacked oil infrastructure tied to Russia’s war effort. He also said Kyiv struck the Kronstadt naval base in St Petersburg, describing it as an important military target.
Ukraine says refinery campaign is cutting Russian capacity
Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that its strikes had disabled 42.74 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity as of early July. It said eight refineries had been hit over the past month and more than 60 storage tanks had been destroyed or damaged.
The General Staff put cumulative losses for the Russian oil sector at $13.5 billion since August 2025. Independent energy analysts estimated the functional disruption at closer to one-third of Russia’s refining capacity.
The strikes have contributed to fuel shortages inside Russia, according to Ukrainian and energy-sector assessments cited in the reporting. Moscow has extended petrol export bans and imposed fuel sale restrictions across more than 40 regions and annexed Crimea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged last Sunday that the attacks were causing a fuel shortage, though he said it was not critical. Putin said damaged facilities were being repaired quickly.
Russia hits Ukrainian gas site
Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz said Russia struck a gas production facility with a drone in the central Poltava region on Saturday, causing a fire. Naftogaz said operations at the site were suspended after the attack.
Naftogaz said on Telegram that Russian forces were systematically targeting gas production sites to reduce Ukraine’s domestic output and complicate preparations for the heating season.
The exchange followed a Russian attack on Kyiv that killed 30 people, according to Ukrainian officials cited in the reporting. In the northeastern city of Sumy, regional officials said at least four people were killed and 27 injured Friday when Russian forces used glide bombs, and they said people remained trapped in the rubble of a residential building.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.