On the night of October 18, St. Petersburg and Russia’s Leningrad region were hit by one of the largest drone attacks since the start of the full-scale war. Oil facilities, industrial warehouses, a data center and transport infrastructure were among the targets.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), fires broke out at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district.
E-commerce company Ozon confirmed that one of its warehouses was struck, sparking a fire. A data center operated by the Russian social media platform VKontakte was also reportedly targeted. The company stated that its services remained fully operational, although users reported disruptions.
One drone struck a cable-stayed bridge on the Western High-Speed Diameter, a toll highway connecting the northern and southern parts of St. Petersburg. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.
According to St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, one person was killed and five others were injured in the attack. Twelve apartment buildings were damaged.
Power outages were reported in several districts, with two transformer substations reportedly shut down in Yanino. Pulkovo Airport also temporarily suspended operations.
Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko claimed that nearly 150 drones had been shot down. The figure has not been independently verified.
At the time of publication, the Ukrainian military had not officially commented on the attack.
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