Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, and its surrounding region were subjected to a large-scale drone assault by Ukraine late Saturday local time, with a local port and oil infrastructure being hit.
Governor Alexander Beglov of St. Petersburg stated that the city of six million people experienced a "massive" drone attack, and its oil terminal was struck. He indicated that the attack resulted in no casualties and that cleanup operations have been completed.
Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the neighboring Leningrad region, reported that a drone hit the area of the Vysotsk port, located on the Baltic Sea coast approximately 170 kilometers (105 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg. This port primarily handles the transshipment of oil, grain, coal, and liquefied natural gas.
Drozdenko stated that air defense forces shot down 72 drones over the region, with several settlements sustaining minor damage. He did not provide information regarding damage to the Vysotsk port.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, "Ukrainian defense forces targeted port oil infrastructure that finances the Russian war, as well as the important military target of Kronstadt, which is located more than 850 kilometers (530 miles) from Ukraine's state border."
Russian authorities have not confirmed an attack on Kronstadt. Kronstadt is a key naval base near St. Petersburg, which Ukraine also attacked back in June of this year.
Since the start of the year, Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, causing significant damage to multiple refineries and leading to gasoline shortages across Russia's vast territory spanning 11 time zones.
Russia's TASS news agency reported that President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Saturday amending the tax code, aimed at supporting the domestic fuel market, including providing tax incentives for the production of high-octane fuel through blending processes.
The governor of Russia's Bryansk region and the Russian-appointed head of Crimea's administration stated that drone attacks resulted in one fatality in each of those two regions, with several others injured.
South of St. Petersburg, the governor of the Pskov region reported that air defenses shot down more than 30 drones overnight. He reported minor damage and injuries locally, including at a factory in the city of Velikiye Luki.
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