Russia and Ukraine exchange overnight strikes, 2 killed

Russia and Ukraine exchanged massive overnight drone strikes Sunday, with Ukrainian attacks on St. Petersburg oil infrastructure killing one person and injuring five while Russian bombardment of Zaporizhzhia left one dead and two wounded, officials on both sides said.

St. Petersburg oil facilities targeted

In St. Petersburg, Governor Alexander Beglov said the city’s oil terminal, Ruchyi oil depot, and industrial warehouses caught fire during what he described as a "massive" drone attack. Beglov said on Telegram that one person was killed and five others were injured, adding that 12 apartment buildings and two private homes sustained damage. Emergency crews continued battling the blazes as Ozon confirmed one of its logistics facilities was hit, prompting staff evacuations without reported injuries.

Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said four people were hospitalized after drone debris struck an apartment building in Gatchina and damaged 55 vehicles in Novosyolye, while an emergency power outage affected 50 apartment buildings, leaving approximately 20,000 residents without electricity. Russian social media firm VKontakte confirmed its data center in the region was targeted but said services remained available. Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that air defenses destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian territory, Crimea, and the Black Sea, while Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that 512 drones had headed toward the capital region, most intercepted at a distance.

Russian strikes hit Zaporizhzhia and Rivne

In Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Russian bombardment killed one person and injured two others, damaging two apartment buildings, 18 vehicles, and an educational facility, regional military administration head Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces targeted Ukrainian logistics centers, ports, and vessels allegedly supporting Kyiv’s armed forces, including a Nova Poshta facility in Rivne it claimed stored drone components. A cargo ship carrying military goods was hit at sea approximately 30 kilometers east of Odesa, the ministry added.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that its air defenses shot down or suppressed 152 Russian drones during the overnight assault. Independent verification of the claims from either side remains difficult due to the ongoing war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.