A large overnight drone attack struck St Petersburg and Russia’s Leningrad region, killing one person and injuring 15, according to local officials. Fires were reported at civilian infrastructure sites, including an oil terminal and a warehouse, while drone debris damaged homes and vehicles.
The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had launched new strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands of families without electricity. The simultaneous attacks underline the continuing cross-border consequences of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
What happened in St Petersburg and Leningrad region?
Russian authorities said air defences intercepted 144 drones over the Leningrad region during the night into Sunday. Regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said falling debris caused fires and damage in Gatchina and other districts.
According to the governor, 55 vehicles were damaged and power outages affected residential areas. Two transformer substations in Yanino remained offline, leaving approximately 50 apartment blocks, home to about 20,000 people, without electricity while emergency repairs were carried out.
Officials reported one death and 15 injuries across the region. The available accounts did not establish who launched each drone or provide an independent assessment of the reported damage.
Oil terminal and warehouses affected
Fires were reported at civilian infrastructure facilities in several St Petersburg districts, including the grounds of the city’s oil terminal in the Great Port of St Petersburg. Local authorities said preliminary information indicated that there were no injuries at the terminal.
The facility can receive and ship up to 1.1 million tonnes of fuel per month and includes four berths and 32 storage tanks. A fire was also reported at an Ozon warehouse, where staff were evacuated. Smoke was visible above the warehouse complex and some nearby roads were closed.
VK confirmed that its data centre in the Leningrad region had been attacked. The company said its services continued to operate normally, according to the source report.
Flights disrupted at Pulkovo airport
Pulkovo airport suspended flights for more than seven hours because of the attack. Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, lifted the restrictions at 10am Moscow time, allowing air operations to resume.
Temporary airport closures and transport restrictions have become a recurring feature of the war’s long-range drone attacks. Such measures can affect passengers, freight operators and regional supply chains even when disruption is limited to a single airport.
Ukraine reports new strikes on energy infrastructure
The attack in north-western Russia followed reports of further Russian strikes on Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Russian forces targeted substations in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa regions on Saturday night.
He said residential buildings were also hit, with two people killed and 12 reportedly injured. Zelenskyy added that energy workers and repair crews were working to restore supplies, but many households remained without power.
Ukraine’s president said Russia had used close to 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs and 66 missiles against Ukraine over the previous week. Those figures were presented by the Ukrainian authorities and had not been independently verified in the source material.
Why the attack matters for Europe
The strikes form part of a wider pattern of attacks affecting energy networks, industrial facilities, transport links and civilian areas in both countries. Although the incidents occurred in Russia and Ukraine rather than inside European Union territory, the conflict remains a central issue in European security news and EU foreign policy.
For European governments, repeated attacks raise concerns about:
- the security of energy infrastructure and fuel logistics;
- the resilience of transport and aviation systems;
- the protection of civilian populations during prolonged conflict;
- the risk of disruption to regional supply chains; and
- the continuing humanitarian and economic consequences of the war.
The reports also demonstrate the importance of distinguishing confirmed official statements from independently verified battlefield information. Local authorities, companies and Ukrainian officials have described the immediate impact, while responsibility and the full scale of the damage remain subject to further assessment.
What happens next?
Emergency crews in the Leningrad region are expected to continue clearing debris, repairing electricity infrastructure and assessing damage to homes and vehicles. Authorities will also investigate the fires reported at industrial and warehouse facilities.
In Ukraine, repair teams are working to restore power after the reported attacks on substations and residential areas. Further developments may affect electricity supplies, transport operations and civilian safety in both countries.
The wider European response will continue to focus on support for Ukraine, sanctions and measures intended to strengthen critical-infrastructure resilience. The latest reports do not indicate any new European Union decision directly arising from the overnight attack.
Conclusion
The drone attack on St Petersburg and the Leningrad region caused deaths, injuries, fires, power cuts and major flight disruption, according to Russian officials. At the same time, Ukraine reported fresh Russian strikes on energy infrastructure and residential areas. The incidents show how the war continues to affect civilian life and critical infrastructure across the region, with the immediate priority now on emergency response, repairs and further verification of the reported damage.
