Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, Russia says, and in St. Petersburg, Russia's second city, an oil export terminal, an oil depot and an Ozon warehouse were set on fire.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it shot down 1,015 drones over 15 regions, Crimea and the Black Sea. AP called it one of the largest aerial attacks of the war.
What burned in St. Petersburg
The attack on the city began at about 2:50 a.m., according to Ukrainian monitoring channels.
Governor Alexander Beglov said fires broke out at:
- the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, the city's oil export terminal, which Ukraine also hit on July 4
- the Ruchyi oil depot
- industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district
E-commerce company Ozon said its St. Petersburg logistics hub was on fire. Social media company VK said one of its data centres in the Leningrad region was attacked by drones, but that its services were working normally.
Video appears to show a drone hitting a large bridge in the city. Officials have not confirmed it.
One person was killed and five injured, Beglov said, and 12 apartment buildings and two houses were damaged.
In the surrounding Leningrad region, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 127 drones were shot down. Two power substations in Yanino were hit, leaving about 20,000 people without electricity.
A Ukrainian drone maker, Fire Point, claimed its FP-1 long-range drone struck the oil terminal.
"Pressure for peace"
The strikes come a week after President Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" on October 11. Ukraine briefly paused attacks on Russian refineries; the Kremlin never observed the truce. On Thursday, Ukraine said it had resumed strikes on Russian oil facilities after a three-day pause.
Zelenskyy says Russia attacked Ukraine's energy, oil and gas sector 76 times in the past week. "It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance," he said. He has warned that a Trump deal with Moscow at Ukraine's expense would be "a tragedy" and a "historic mistake."
Trump has criticised Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil, and has waived a package of sanctions against Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the attacks, saying Ukraine could not "change the current course of events."
The war went on in both directions
Overnight, Russian attacks killed at least two people in Ukraine and injured about a dozen, ABC News reported. In Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and a 5-year-old girl was among those wounded.
A drone also strayed into Lithuania, damaging a moving car in the Pasvalys region. No one was hurt. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry apologised and said the drone may have been diverted by Russian electronic warfare during an operation against targets in Russia.
What to watch
The damage. How much of the oil terminal's export capacity is out, and for how long.
Washington's reaction. Whether Trump, who has criticised strikes on Russian oil, responds to an attack of this size.
Russia's answer. Whether Moscow steps up its own strikes on Ukraine's energy system in response.
Published Sunday, October 18, 2026. The drone count is Russia's Defence Ministry figure; casualties and damage are from Russian regional officials and companies and have not been independently verified.
