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 Zelenksyy.
St. Petersburg Gov. Aleksandr Beglov said the city came under a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack and that air defenses shot down 72 drones. One drone crashed in the Peterhof area.
"The strike hit an oil terminal in the city's Kirovsky District. The aftermath has been cleared. There were no casualties," Beglov said.
"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," Zelenskyy wrote on US social media company X.
Local Telegram channels earlier reported a fire at the port's oil terminal following the overnight attack.
Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 389 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions, as well as the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea, and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
In a later statement released in the afternoon, the ministry said it thwarted a combined Ukrainian attack on Russian territory overnight, which it said utilized FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launcher systems, and long-range drones.
Accusing Ukraine of trying to "distract attention" from Russia's strikes on Kyiv earlier this week and its capture of the city of Kostiantynivka, the latter of which Zelenskyy denied, the statement claimed Russian air defenses downed more than 500 aerial targets, including 10 FP-5 Flamingo missiles, 9 HIMARS rockets, and 494 Ukrainian drones.
"Zelenskyy's attempt to damage civilian facilities in the Russian Federation will not go unanswered by the Russian Armed Forces," the ministry added.
Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on Russia's most recent claims, and independent verification is difficult due to the ongoing war.
