Ukrainian Drone Strike Sets St. Petersburg Oil Terminal Ablaze; One Killed, 15 Injured
Fires broke out at an oil terminal, an oil depot and industrial warehouses in Russia's second-largest city in an overnight drone assault, days after President Donald Trump paused new Russia sanctions, a move Ukraine's president warned would embolden Moscow.
Ukrainian drones struck oil facilities, logistics hubs and data centers in St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region overnight, local Russian authorities said Sunday, killing one person and injuring 15.
St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov said fires broke out at the St. Petersburg oil terminal, an oil depot and industrial warehouses. The Russian e-commerce company Ozon said its logistics hub in the city was on fire, and the internet company VK said a data center in the Leningrad region had been attacked by drones, though its services were operating normally. Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point said Sunday that Ukraine’s military had struck the VK data center.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the TASS news agency, said Russia was answering Ukrainian attacks with large-scale strikes of its own. “The Kyiv regime is resisting,” Peskov said. “But this cannot change the course of events.”
Strikes follow Trump’s sanctions pause
The assault came two days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving the sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, a law he signed last month aimed at pressuring Moscow over the war in Ukraine. The measures, which included tariffs on Russian goods and penalties on countries buying Russian oil and gas, had been due to take effect this week. Trump said Saturday he had not yet announced a final decision, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president would take up to 60 days to assess the economic impact.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the waiver would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and prolong the war, according to Reuters. Rubio said the administration wanted time to weigh what the sanctions would mean for the U.S. and global economies, pointing to high energy prices as the war with Iran disrupts oil supplies. “These conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other,” Rubio said before boarding a flight to Uzbekistan.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.
