Ukrainian drones strike St Petersburg oil terminal, kill one, injure two

Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign reached Russia’s second-largest city on Saturday, 4 July 2026, targeting energy and military infrastructure in a coordinated overnight assault. The strikes hit an oil terminal in St. Petersburg’s Kirovsky district and a port facility in the town of Vysotsk, located approximately 170 kilometers northwest of the city on the Gulf of Finland. The Vysotsk port serves as a terminal for the export of oil, grain, coal, and liquefied natural gas.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov characterized the operation as a large-scale drone attack. He confirmed the strike on the city’s oil terminal, noting that the aftermath of the incident had been managed, though he reported that air-defence forces intercepted 72 drones across the city and the surrounding Leningrad region. Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko corroborated the figure regarding the intercepted drones, identifying the Vysotsk facility as a primary target of the offensive.

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"The Ukrainian defense forces hit the port oil infrastructure, which earns money for the Russian war, and there were also hits on Kronstadt — an important military target,"

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, via Telegram

President Zelenskyy described the operation as part of a strategic plan of long-range sanctions aimed at limiting Russia’s ability to fund its military activities. The strikes hit targets situated more than 850 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. In addition to the energy facilities, Zelenskyy stated that forces successfully struck military targets on the island of Kronstadt, a naval base located off the coast of St. Petersburg.

The assault in the north coincided with intensified drone activity across multiple Russian regions. In the southern Krasnodar region, a drone attack triggered a fire at a sea terminal in the village of Volna, an incident that resulted in one fatality and injured three others. Russian authorities also reported drone interceptions in the Bryansk, Smolensk, Kaluga, Novgorod, and Moscow regions. Meanwhile, the governor of the Pskov region reported that more than 30 drones were intercepted over the area, causing minor damage and injuries, including at a factory in Velikiye Luki. Local media reported that the city of Belgorod was left almost entirely without power following overnight strikes.

These actions occur against a backdrop of a worsening fuel crisis within Russia. The consistent targeting of energy facilities has contributed to fuel shortages and the implementation of rationing in several Russian regions. While the Kremlin has downplayed the significance of the attacks on its energy infrastructure, describing them as non-critical, the scale of the drone activity has forced a heightened reliance on air defenses.

The strategic tension between the two nations remained elevated on Saturday. President Vladimir Putin, in comments regarding the state of the war, asserted that the conflict would persist until his objectives were achieved. He further claimed that Russian forces had captured the city of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region, an assertion that President Zelenskyy explicitly denied, labeling it a fabrication intended to create a misleading news cycle. The two leaders remain at odds regarding the tactical reality of the front lines, as the war continues into its fifth year.

As the campaign proceeds, the targeting of Russia’s energy infrastructure remains a primary objective for Ukrainian forces. Previous strikes, including incidents in June 2026, had already impacted oil terminals and warships during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. With fuel supplies reportedly under pressure and officials in both countries trading conflicting reports on territorial control, the long-range drone strategy continues to impact domestic logistics inside Russia.