St Petersburg energy sites burn as Russia reports 144 drones downed

Russian officials reported up to 144 drones downed around St Petersburg on Oct. 18 during an attack they described as Ukrainian, Euronews said in a video report published Sunday.

The later drone count was 18 above an initial 126 reported by Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko, giving scale to a strike that hit Russia’s second-largest city and several energy-linked sites.

St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said air defences operated overnight during what he called a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack. He said one person was killed and five others were injured.

Drozdenko first put the number of intercepted drones over the surrounding region at 126, then raised it to 144. Euronews said some reports gave a figure of 145, but the item did not independently verify the totals.

The attack ignited the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchyi oil depot, and infrastructure was hit in several city districts. An oil refinery and depot were also reported hit, while operations at Pulkovo Airport were limited temporarily for safety reasons.

The video report carried social-media footage showing a large fire at a warehouse run by Ozon, Russia’s second-largest online retailer. Ozon said its logistics centre had been struck.

Other images showed dense smoke rising near the St Petersburg Oil Terminal. The report did not quantify damage to fuel handling capacity, warehouse operations or airport traffic.

The strikes came after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian oil refineries following a brief pause linked to President Donald Trump’s Oct. 11 declaration of an “energy ceasefire.” Neither Russia nor Ukraine formally confirmed such an arrangement, according to Euronews.

Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out 76 attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over the following week. He said those strikes included substations in four regions and left tens of thousands of families without power.

Energy assets have become a central pressure point in the war. Atlas360 reported earlier on Oct. 18 that strikes on Russian oil infrastructure were raising diesel supply-chain risk, while a separate Indian proposal focused on energy sites, grain shipments and commercial vessels rather than a full settlement.

The main uncertainty is what operational effect the St Petersburg fires will have beyond the immediate emergency response. The Euronews item did not include a Ukrainian confirmation of responsibility or an independent assessment of lasting damage to the sites.

Source: video report, Euronews, Oct. 18, 2026