Ukraine hits Russian oil terminal; smoke rises over St Petersburg facility - watch
Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal in Russia's second-largest city of St Petersburg and targeted military infrastructure near the Baltic coast overnight, Russian and Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, as Kyiv stepped up long-range attacks on Russia's energy sector that have deepened fuel shortages across the country.St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city of six million came under a "large-scale" drone attack, with the Kirovsky district oil terminal hit.
He said there were no casualties and authorities had dealt with the aftermath of the strike.In the surrounding Leningrad region, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said a drone struck the area of Vysotsk port, around 170 km northwest of St Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. The port handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.
Drozdenko said Russian air defences shot down 72 drones over the region, while more than 30 drones were intercepted in neighbouring Pskov region, where minor damage and injuries, including at a factory in Velikiye Luki, were reported.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed responsibility for the strikes, saying they targeted facilities supporting Russia's war effort."Ukraine's defence forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and also hit Kronstadt, an important military target more than 850 km (530 miles) from Ukraine's state border."Russia did not confirm a strike on Kronstadt, a major naval base near St Petersburg that Ukraine had also targeted in June.Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil infrastructure this year, damaging refineries and disrupting fuel supplies across Russia.
The latest strikes come as fuel shortages continue to affect several regions.In Gatchina, south of St Petersburg, a Reuters witness saw long queues at petrol stations, with some outlets running out of fuel.One resident, who identified himself as Gennadiy, said: "Standing in queues after work isn't exactly fun.""And then, in a couple of days, I'll have to stand in queues again, because I'll run out of gas again."Russian state news agency TASS reported that President Vladimir Putin had signed tax code amendments aimed at supporting the domestic fuel market, including tax incentives for producing high-octane fuel through blending.Elsewhere, authorities said Ukrainian drone attacks killed one person each in Russia's Bryansk region and Russian-annexed Crimea, while several others were injured.
Crimea's Moscow-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said two people, including a 10-year-old child, were among the injured.The strikes are part of Ukraine's sustained campaign against Russia's energy infrastructure, which Kyiv says is intended to reduce revenues funding Moscow's military operations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously dismissed the attacks as "not critical" and insisted Russia will continue its military campaign despite the growing pressure on its fuel sector.Catch the latest world news and top headlines.
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