The Ukrainian army has carried out one of its largest deep-strike operations, attacking a number of Russian regions. In St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region, the city's Kirov oil terminal, the strategic port of Vysotsk on the Gulf of Finland (processing oil, grain and liquefied gas), and the naval base in Kronstadt were hit.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attacks on social media. He said the goal was to cut off energy revenues that fund the Russian military machine.
Moscow's position
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that air defenses had neutralized over 500 air targets across the country, including 72 drones over the Leningrad region alone.
For the first time in this region, the ministry also reported the downing of 10 of the new Ukrainian FP-5 "Flamingo" long-range cruise missiles, which in recent weeks have hit military plants in Chuvashia and Volgograd.
Moscow described the attack as an attempt to strike civilian objects and officially warned that Kiev's actions "will not go unanswered" by the Russian Armed Forces.
Consequences and chaos on the ground
- Infrastructural collapse: The attacks caused major fires at oil facilities and forced the suspension of flights at “Pulkovo“ airport.
- Network Jamming: Local authorities deliberately throttled mobile internet in St. Petersburg to disrupt cellular navigation of Ukrainian drones.
- Fuel crisis: Ukraine's successful successive strikes on Russia's energy sector have led to an acute shortage of gasoline and huge queues at gas stations in the Leningrad region. This has forced Vladimir Putin to urgently sign tax changes to urgently support the domestic fuel market.
- Victims in other regions: While no civilians were injured in St. Petersburg, one death was reported in the Bryansk region and annexed Crimea in related attacks.