Kyiv (The COW News Digital) Ukraine launched a massive drone assault targeting multiple Russian regions, with more than 1,000 drones reportedly intercepted or neutralised, according to Russian authorities. The attacks sparked fires at oil facilities, industrial warehouses and logistics centres, while residential buildings also sustained damage.
Russian officials reported that at least one person was killed and five others injured in the attacks. The strikes were described in media reports as among the largest Ukrainian drone operations of the war.
According to reports by Al Jazeera, AFP, AP and Reuters, St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said fires broke out at the city’s oil terminal, the Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district following the attacks on Sunday.
Russian online retailer Ozon also reported a fire at its logistics centre. Meanwhile, technology company VK said a drone attack targeted its data centre in the Leningrad region. The company reported that its services continued operating normally despite the incident.
Leningrad regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said approximately 145 drones had been intercepted during the attack, while around 20,000 people were left without electricity.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had destroyed or neutralised a total of 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight across 15 Russian regions, Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. Operations at St Petersburg’s main airport were also disrupted as a precautionary measure.
The reported strikes came amid growing tensions between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the war and attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Trump has criticised Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil and energy facilities and indicated that he was not rushing to impose additional sanctions on Moscow, arguing that such measures could complicate negotiations. He has also accused Zelensky of being unwilling to end the war.
Zelensky, however, has argued that Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite a proposed energy ceasefire. According to the Ukrainian president, Russian forces carried out 76 attacks against energy, oil and gas facilities over one week.
Zelensky warned that easing sanctions against Russia could strengthen Moscow’s ability to continue its military campaign. He also said intelligence-sharing between Washington and Kyiv had resumed.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian president held discussions with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner regarding diplomatic contacts and the next stages of negotiations.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory also caused casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a Russian air attack killed a woman and damaged a metro station, non-residential buildings and a 25-storey residential building. Three people were injured, and a medical facility was also affected.
In the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, Russian strikes killed another woman and injured at least two people, including a six-year-old girl.
Zelensky further reported that attacks on residential buildings in the Volyn region killed two people and injured 12 others, including two children.
The Ukrainian president also claimed that Russia launched approximately 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs and 66 missiles against Ukraine over the previous week, most of them ballistic missiles.
The latest developments highlight the continuing escalation of aerial attacks on both sides, with energy facilities, industrial sites and civilian infrastructure remaining vulnerable as diplomatic efforts to end the war continue.
