Russia says it downed 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight; fire at St Petersburg oil terminal
St Petersburg's governor said one person was killed and five injured. Moscow's mayor reported 195 drones shot down on Saturday and 76 more overnight.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday 18 October that its air defences destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over the Leningrad and Moscow regions, Interfax reported. By RIA Novosti’s count of ministry data, the overnight record is 1,110 drones, reported on 20 September.
St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said fires broke out at the St Petersburg Oil Terminal and at sites in four city districts. He later said one person was killed and five were in hospital, with 12 apartment buildings and two houses damaged, Vedomosti reported. Pulkovo airport temporarily halted flights, TASS reported, citing aviation agency Rosaviatsia.
Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 135 drones were shot down over the region. Tech company VK confirmed a drone attack on its data centre there and said its services were working normally. Telegram channels reported a strike on a bridge on the Western High-Speed Diameter motorway. Authorities did not confirm this, though local outlet Fontanka said a section of the road was closed, DW reported.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 195 drones heading for the capital were destroyed on Saturday and 76 overnight. Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports suspended flights, Interfax reported.
Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point said one of its FP-1 drones hit the oil terminal, according to the Kyiv Independent. Figures are as of 7am GMT.
Background
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both sides now regularly strike each other’s energy sites. Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian refineries this week after a US-announced pause on energy strikes collapsed. Kyiv had said it would stop if Russia did, while Moscow said it never agreed to the pause, the BBC reported. US President Donald Trump called the renewed refinery strikes “a disgrace”, saying they push up world oil prices. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “only standing up for Ukraine’s interests”.
Sources
- Russian military destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight (in Russian) · Interfax
- Russian air defence downs near-record number of Ukrainian drones (in Russian) · RIA Novosti
- Beglov: one person killed, five injured in drone attack (in Russian) · Vedomosti
- FACTBOX: What is known about drone attacks in Leningrad Region, St. Petersburg · TASS
- Drone attack on St Petersburg: oil terminal and VK data centre hit (in Russian) · DW
- Massive Ukrainian drone attack hit oil facility, bridge, and data centers in St. Petersburg · Kyiv Independent
- What happened overnight: Sunday, 18 October (in Russian) · Interfax
- Zelensky says Ukraine has right to defend itself after Trump calls latest strikes a 'disgrace' · BBC News
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