Moscow: Ukrainian attacks set an oil export terminal ablaze in St Petersburg on Sunday, as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones across Russia in one of its largest-ever aerial bombardments.
The attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington, with US President Donald Trump criticising Kyiv for its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
One person was killed and five others were wounded in the attack, which sparked fires at both the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the city's Ruchi oil depot, said local Governor Alexander Beglov. A logistics centre belonging to Russian retailer Ozon and a data centre for local tech giant VK were also targeted, both companies confirmed.
Russia's Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that its forces had destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine, and the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, a woman died and at least two other people were wounded, including a six-year-old girl, after Russia launched two attacks on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials said.
Two apartment buildings, 18 cars and an educational institution were damaged in the attack, said Mykhailo Semikin, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration.
Russia continues energy attacks, Kyiv says
US President Donald Trump announced on October 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an ‘energy ceasefire’ in the four-and-a-half-year war, but offered no details. Kyiv reported Russian attacks on energy sites after his announcement.
Ukraine confirmed on Thursday that it had resumed attacks on Russian oil infrastructure after a three-day hiatus.
Zelenskyy criticised Russia's continued aerial bombardment of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which he said appeared to defy Trump's demand on Sunday for both sides to halt such attacks. The Ukrainian government initially said it was observing the ceasefire.
In a post on X on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that in the week since Trump's announcement of an energy ceasefire, Russia had attacked Ukraine's energy, oil and gas sectors 76 times.
He also said that during the previous night, energy facilities in four Ukrainian regions had been attacked and tens of thousands of families were still without power. He accused Russia of trying to cause a blackout.
“America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements. On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting,” he wrote.
Zelenskyy also stressed that the war was continuing because of Russia's invasion, not because Ukraine was defending itself.
“It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance. Thank you to everyone who understands this and helps,” he said.
