Oil facilities hit in deadly overnight attack on St Petersburg

What the report says

At least one person was killed and several others injured in an overnight drone attack on St Petersburg, according to BBC World News, which said the strikes hit two oil facilities in the city. The targets included the St Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchyi oil depot, both of which were reported to be on fire as emergency crews responded. Regional governor Alexander Beglov also said a logistics site tied to Ozon, the Russian e-commerce company often described as a domestic equivalent of Amazon, and a data centre used by VKontakte were struck.

BBC reported that the attack caused wider disruption in the city. Beglov said 12 apartment buildings and two houses were damaged, and Pulkovo Airport was temporarily closed. VK said a drone targeted its regional data centre but said its services continued to operate, while Ozon said staff were evacuated and no one was hurt at its facility.

The report places the strike in the context of an intensifying campaign by both Russia and Ukraine against energy and economic infrastructure. Kyiv has previously said such attacks are meant to reduce revenue supporting Moscow’s war effort, while Russia says it targets military-related sites. BBC also noted that St Petersburg has been struck before, including earlier this year, but that areas closer to the front line are usually hit more often.