Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia's second city overnight, striking an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and setting it on fire, officials said on Sunday. The assault also hit a major e-commerce warehouse and a data centre, forced Pulkovo Airport to halt flights, and left one person dead and five injured, the city's governor said. It comes days after Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would resume strikes on Russian refineries.
What happened in the Ukraine drone attack on St Petersburg
According to Russian officials, the attack began overnight on Saturday and ran into the early hours of Sunday — Ukrainian monitoring channels put the start at around 2:50 a.m. local time, the Kyiv Independent reported.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city came under attack by unmanned aerial vehicles. In his latest update on Sunday, he said one person had been killed and five others injured, Reuters reported; earlier official updates had reported no casualties. Beglov said the attack caused fires at "civilian infrastructure" in three districts, as well as "on the grounds of the St Petersburg oil terminal," Le Temps reported, while Arab News cited fires at an oil depot and industrial warehouses too.
Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Telegram on Sunday morning that 126 drones had been shot down overnight over the region, with falling debris damaging homes, cars and power lines. He reported no injuries.
Oil terminal, Ozon warehouse and VK data centre hit
The St. Petersburg Oil Terminal — a major petroleum transshipment hub on the Baltic coast — caught fire after being struck, officials said. Ukrainian defence company Fire Point claimed its FP-1 long-range drones had hit the terminal, which it said handles 12.5 million metric tons a year; that claim could not be independently verified. The same facility was previously targeted by Ukrainian drones in June.
Russian e-commerce giant Ozon said its logistics centre in St. Petersburg caught fire after drones struck the facility, though no one was injured there.
Russian internet company VK said one of its data centres in the Leningrad region had been attacked by drones, adding that its services remained normally available.
Russia claims 1,015 drones shot down overnight
Russia's defence ministry said air defences shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight, with Moscow and St. Petersburg bearing the brunt. The ministry's figures could not be independently verified.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences intercepted drones heading for the capital through the night. Two Moscow airports, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, suspended flight operations as a precaution, civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
Pulkovo Airport suspends flights
St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport restricted operations for safety reasons during the attack, and state news agency TASS said it suspended all arrivals and departures. Passengers and staff were moved to safe locations while fire crews worked on the blazes.
Why it matters
St. Petersburg sits on the Baltic Sea and hosts oil infrastructure central to Russia's hydrocarbons trade — the revenue stream helping fund Moscow's war effort. Ukraine has made these facilities a priority target in recent months, explicitly in retaliation for Russian bombardments.
The timing is political too. Zelensky told the Financial Times this week that Kyiv would resume attacks on Russian refineries; on Thursday, Donald Trump called those strikes "a disgrace" and said Zelensky was "harder to work with" than Vladimir Putin. And the strike shows how far Ukraine's long-range drones now reach.
For related coverage, see Ukraine ending its pause on Russian refinery strikes, Romania shooting down drones over the Black Sea, and Ukraine's dispute with SpaceX over drone-operation connectivity.
What happens next
Emergency crews were still working at the affected sites on Sunday morning with no full damage assessment yet. Russia typically answers major Ukrainian strikes with intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine's military has not formally claimed the attack; Kyiv rarely confirms individual long-range strikes inside Russia.
Key Takeaways
- Ukrainian drones struck St. Petersburg overnight into Sunday, October 18, setting the city's oil terminal on fire, Russian officials said.
- Governor Alexander Beglov said one person was killed and five injured; earlier updates had reported no casualties.
- An Ozon logistics hub and a VK data centre were also hit; Pulkovo Airport suspended flights.
- Russia's defence ministry claimed 1,015 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight — unverified.
- The strike follows Zelensky's announcement that Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian refineries.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in St. Petersburg on October 18, 2026?
Ukrainian drones attacked St. Petersburg overnight into Sunday, October 18. Governor Alexander Beglov said the assault set the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal on fire, damaged civilian infrastructure in three city districts, and struck an Ozon logistics hub and a VK data centre. He said one person was killed and five were injured.
How many drones did Russia claim to shoot down?
Russia's defence ministry said air defences shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight. The regional governor separately said 126 drones were downed over the Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg. Neither figure could be independently verified.
Was Pulkovo Airport affected by the drone attack?
Yes. Pulkovo Airport, which serves St. Petersburg, restricted operations for safety reasons during the attack, and state media reported it suspended all arrivals and departures for a time. Passengers and staff were moved to safe locations while fire crews worked. Two Moscow airports also suspended operations overnight.
Has the St. Petersburg oil terminal been attacked before?
Yes. The terminal was previously targeted by Ukrainian drones in June 2026, according to Mathrubhumi's report. Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian oil terminals and refineries during the war, aiming to disrupt fuel supplies and the revenue sustaining Moscow's military campaign.
Why is Ukraine striking Russian oil infrastructure?
Kyiv says the strikes retaliate against Russian bombardments of Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. Oil terminals and refineries matter because they support fuel distribution and generate revenue for Russia's war effort. Zelensky confirmed this week that Ukraine would resume refinery attacks.
Sources
- Arab News, October 18, 2026 — "Official: 1 killed, 5 injured in Ukrainian drone attack on Russian city"
- Le Temps, October 18, 2026 — "Ukraine has attacked an oil terminal in St Petersburg"
- Mathrubhumi English, October 18, 2026 — "Ukrainian Drone Swarm Strikes St Petersburg, Igniting Oil Terminal Fire"
- The New Voice of Ukraine, October 18, 2026 — "Ukrainian drones hit St. Petersburg oil terminal, spark fire"
- Eastern Herald, October 18, 2026 — "St. Petersburg Oil Terminal Fire After Drone Attack"
- APA (Azerbaijan), October 18, 2026 — "Moscow mayor says nearly 200 Ukrainian drones destroyed while heading for city"
By GlobalDeskNews Staff