Ukraine strikes St. Petersburg oil terminal and Russian Baltic Fleet base

Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Saturday morning that the targets hit in St Petersburg and the surrounding region were roughly 850 km (528 miles) from Ukraine’s border.

A video posted by Zelensky showed a drone approaching a target, followed by a large column of black smoke; the extent of damage was not immediately clear.

The BBC later confirmed that St Petersburg’s oil terminal had been struck.

Ukraine’s military described the terminal as one of Russia’s largest, with an annual capacity of 12.5 million tonnes of petroleum products.

The armed forces also reported that a key naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt was targeted.

Russia has not publicly commented on the claims.

Governor Alexander Beglov said 72 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over St Petersburg and the broader Leningrad region, urging residents to stay indoors and warning of possible mobile‑internet disruptions.

St Petersburg is home to more than five million inhabitants.

In a separate development, Ukraine’s military denied that the eastern town of Kostyantynivka is now under full Russian control; spokesperson Major Andriy Kovalyov told the BBC the town remains under Ukrainian defence‑force control.

He acknowledged isolated cases of small infantry groups infiltrating Ukrainian positions but said those groups were being identified and eliminated.

The comments followed a day after President Putin claimed Russian control over Kostyantynivka in June, offering no evidence.

Later on Saturday, Zelensky posted on Telegram: “If Kostyantynivka is now under Russian control, then Putin will probably have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to finally end the war. But still, he will not cross the front line: the truth is very different from Putin’s words.”

Kostyantynivka is a fortified town forming part of Ukraine’s “fortress belt” in the Donetsk region, most of which remains occupied by Russian forces.

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