Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale overnight drone attack on Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg, on Oct. 18, reportedly hitting an oil terminal, a data center operated by social media company VKontakte and a major bridge, according to Russian media and Ukrainian monitoring channels.

Aleksandr Drozdenko, governor of Leningrad Oblast, said Russian air defenses had shot down 127 Ukrainian drones over the region. Drone debris reportedly damaged four cars in a parking lot, while fires were reported at several locations.

The extent of the damage could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian monitoring channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ reported that the attack began at around 2:50 a.m. local time. Videos shared by residents appeared to show drones flying over the city, air defense systems operating and explosions lighting up the night sky. Other footage appeared to show a drone striking an eight-lane bridge and fires at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal.

Located at the city’s port, the terminal is one of Russia’s major fuel storage and export facilities, handling petroleum products transported by river, rail and road. It has a reported annual throughput of 12.5 million tons. Ukrainian drone manufacturer Fire Point claimed that its FP-1 attack drone was used in the strike.

Russian opposition outlet Astra also reported that a power substation was hit, causing blackouts and low water pressure in parts of the region. An apartment building was reportedly damaged.

The reported strike on a VKontakte data center marks another Ukrainian attack on Russian digital infrastructure. Ukrainian forces have also reportedly targeted data center facilities associated with technology company Yandex in recent weeks, following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pledge to respond in kind to Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers.

The attack comes amid an intensification of Ukrainian drone operations against strategic targets deep inside Russia, including oil facilities, energy infrastructure and digital networks.

St. Petersburg’s oil terminal was previously damaged in a reported Ukrainian drone strike on July 4. Ukrainian forces have also targeted facilities in the Moscow region, disrupting air traffic and reportedly damaging data centers.

The latest operation follows the failure of a U.S.-backed energy ceasefire initiative announced by President Donald Trump, which was intended to halt Russian and Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure.

The strikes come as Russia continues attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure, with both sides increasingly deploying long-range drones against targets far from the front lines.

The full impact of the latest attack on Russia’s oil exports, power infrastructure and digital networks remained unclear. (ILKHA)