Ukrainian forces launched a significant drone offensive on Saturday, targeting critical Russian oil infrastructure located near St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said Russia’s second-largest city had come under a large-scale drone attack but there were no casualties.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially confirmed that Ukraine orchestrated the operation. He explained that the tactical goal was to undermine the energy revenues that sustain Russia’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. According to a statement posted on social media, Ukrainian defense forces successfully targeted port oil facilities that contribute to Russian war funding. Furthermore, the strikes extended to Kronstadt, a strategic military location situated more than 850 km (528 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The impact of the operation reached beyond the immediate vicinity of St. Petersburg. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the surrounding Leningrad region, reported that drones also struck the port of Vysotsk. Located approximately 170 km (105 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland, the facility serves as a major hub for the handling of grain, coal, liquefied natural gas, and oil. Drozdenko noted that local defense systems intercepted and destroyed 72 drones over the Leningrad region alone.
On a national scale, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that a total of 389 Ukrainian combat drones were intercepted across the country during the overnight operation. In response to the heightened aerial activity, Finland’s public broadcaster Yle reported that the country implemented temporary maritime and aviation restrictions in the eastern portion of the Gulf of Finland. This latest escalation follows a similar incident weeks prior, when Ukraine targeted St. Petersburg during an annual economic conference attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
