Ukraine launches over 1,000 drones at Russian targets, causing casualties and fires
Ukraine deployed more than 1,000 drones against Russian oil facilities and other sites, resulting in at least one death, several injuries and widespread damage, while U.S. President Trump criticized the attacks.
Ukraine carried out one of its largest aerial operations in the war, sending more than 1,000 drones toward targets in Russia, including the St Petersburg oil terminal, the Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district. St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the strike caused fires, killed at least one person, injured five and damaged several residential buildings and two houses. The attack also disrupted flights at St Petersburg’s main airport, which was limiting operations for safety reasons.
Russian e-commerce firm Ozon reported a fire at its logistics hub in St Petersburg, and internet company VK said its data centre in the Leningrad region was hit, though services remained available. Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 145 drones were shot down and about 20,000 people lost electricity after the raid. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that 1,015 Ukrainian drones were neutralised overnight across 15 Russian regions, Crimea and the Black Sea.
The drone strikes occurred amid heightened tensions between Kyiv and Washington. President Donald Trump defended his decision to pause new sanctions on Russia, arguing that additional sanctions could hinder diplomatic negotiations. He also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for ordering attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, claiming the moves do not contribute to ending the war. Zelenskyy responded that waiving sanctions would benefit Moscow and reiterated that intelligence sharing with the United States had resumed after a temporary interruption.
In separate incidents, Russian air strikes in Kyiv and the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed a woman and injured several civilians, including a child. Additional attacks in the Volyn region resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries. Zelenskyy noted that Russia had targeted Ukrainian energy facilities dozens of times in the week following an announced “energy ceasefire.”