Despite a call from U.S. President Donald Trump to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, Ukraine has carried out a major drone strike on a key Russian oil terminal. The attack, which took place overnight into Saturday, has been described as one of the most significant strikes of the year.
Tensions between Ukraine and the United States have risen recently, fueling concerns in Kyiv that American support could wane ahead of the coming winter—a period during which Russia’s ongoing assaults are expected to intensify. Nevertheless, Ukraine has continued to launch long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that 1,015 Ukrainian drones were shot down across various regions of the country overnight into Sunday. Among the targets was an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, a facility with an annual processing capacity of 12.5 million tons of oil. Fire Point, the Ukrainian company that manufactured the drones used in the attack, reported that a fire broke out at the terminal site following the strike.
Meanwhile, the Russian e-commerce firm Ozon stated that one of its distribution centers in St. Petersburg was also hit. Local authorities reported that one person was killed and five others were injured in the attacks, with several residential buildings also sustaining damage.
Amid these Ukrainian strikes, the relationship between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump has become increasingly strained. Last week, Trump described Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries as “disgraceful.”
Previously, Trump had claimed that Russia and Ukraine had reached an agreement to refrain from attacking each other’s energy infrastructure—an arrangement Washington had reportedly sought to facilitate in an effort to keep oil and diesel prices stable ahead of U.S. elections. However, neither Kyiv nor Moscow has confirmed the existence of any such agreement.
Although Ukraine had temporarily halted strikes on energy facilities, it has since resumed them. Meanwhile, Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities and cities.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian missile and drone strikes over the 24 hours leading up to Sunday morning left 11 people dead and nearly 50 injured across the country. This includes a major attack on energy infrastructure in the Odesa region.
