Between 17-18 October, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched over 1,000 drones at Russia’s St Petersburg oil terminal, Ruchyi Oil depot, the OZON logistics hub and two bridges.
Reports on 20 October have confirmed the resulting damage. At the St Petersburg site, three storage tanks caught fire, with two damaged and one completely destroyed. At Ruchyi oil depot, one vertical steel tank was destroyed, and another was damaged. A large-scale fire was reported at the OZON logistics hub, where data has shown that an area of more than 10,000m2 was affected. The two bridges – Southern Fairway Bridge and Finland Railway Bridge in St Petersburg – were both damaged.
Aside from energy infrastructure, logistics sites and data centres were hit. One person is confirmed to have been killed, with 15 others injured.
This recent activity by Ukrainian forces follows earlier drone strikes, including on St Petersburg in June 2026; and Bashkortostan, Taganrog and Azov, and Krasnodar Krai in July 2026. Russia has also continued to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure, despite US president Donald Trump claiming in a social media post on 11 October that the two sides had reached a ceasefire agreement. Writing on Truth Social, Trump states: 'Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!' In response, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed he was surprised by the announcement, but would agree if Russian president Vladimir Putin did the same. Speaking to Axios, president Zelenskyy says: 'If President Trump negotiated it with Putin – please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready and we will accept it.'
24 February 2027 will mark five years since Russia invaded Ukraine, with numerous attacks on energy infrastructure by both sides over that time.
