Ukraine struck a major oil terminal in Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg, and other targets in northwestern Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian National Defense Forces attacked port oil infrastructure that generates Russian war funds,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media. He also said that “significant military targets” at the nearby naval base of Kronstadt were attacked overnight.
St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov acknowledged that an oil terminal had been hit and said the city was under large-scale drone attacks. He reported no casualties.
Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russia’s critical energy infrastructure in recent months, causing fuel shortages in several regions.
Prime Minister Zelenskyy said in his post Saturday morning that the targets hit in St. Petersburg and surrounding areas were about 850 kilometers (528 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but a video posted by Ukraine’s president showed a drone flying toward its target and a huge plume of black smoke billowing from the area following the strike.
The BBC later confirmed that an oil terminal in St Petersburg had been attacked.
The Ukrainian military described the terminal as one of Russia’s largest, capable of producing 12.5 million tons of petroleum products per year.
The military also said the main naval base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt was attacked.
Russia has not commented publicly on the claims.
Writing on Telegram, Governor Beglov said 72 Ukrainian drones were shot down over St. Petersburg and the wider Leningrad region.
He urged city residents to stay indoors until the drone threat is eliminated. He warned that mobile internet services could also be disrupted.
More than 5 million people live in St. Petersburg.
In a separate announcement Saturday, the Ukrainian military denied that Kostiantinivka, a key city in eastern Ukraine, is now under full Russian control.
Military spokesman Major Andriy Kovalyov told the BBC: “Kostiantinivka remains under the control of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.”
He acknowledged that “there are cases where small infantry groups have penetrated deep into the fighting fabric of our forces,” but added that those groups were being identified and destroyed.
His comments came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian control over the village of Kostiantinivka was established in June.
President Putin did not provide any evidence to support his claims.
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram late Saturday: “If Kostiantinivka was under Russian control, President Putin would probably have no problem meeting me there and finding a diplomatic solution to end the war. But still, he would not cross the front line. The truth is very different from what Putin says.”
Kostantynivka is one of several heavily fortified towns that make up Ukraine’s “fortress belt” in the Donetsk region, most of which is occupied by Russia.
President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow now controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
