Russia: Huge flames and smoke rise over St Petersburg after drone strikes

Ukraine launched a significant drone assault on Saint Petersburg, resulting in fires at an oil refinery and depot, as reported by Moscow. This incident follows Kyiv's accusations of Russian breaches of an unilaterally declared energy ceasefire by US President Donald Trump, which have reportedly left hundreds of thousands without electricity.

Last week, Trump announced the ceasefire, but neither party endorsed it initially, and Moscow has persistently targeted Ukraine's power grid, while Kyiv resumed strikes against Russian oil refineries. Trump has criticized Kyiv's actions on Russian refineries, alleging they contribute to rising global fuel prices. Today's attack occurred as Ukraine's relations with Washington deteriorated.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Russia had struck Kyiv's energy, oil, and gas facilities 76 times since Trump's ceasefire announcement. Saint Petersburg's governor, Alexander Beglov, reported one fatality and five hospitalizations due to the night-time strikes, which also damaged 12 residential buildings. The city's Pulkovo airport experienced flight restrictions.

Russia's VKontakte social network and Ozon, Russia's second-largest retailer, reported hackers targeting their logistics centers. Russian authorities claimed to have shot down 144 Ukrainian drones, describing it as the largest attack on Saint Petersburg since the onset of the 2022 war. Ukraine has been targeting Moscow and Saint Petersburg throughout Russia's ongoing offensive, though large-scale hits on major Russian cities are infrequent.

Peace talks mediated by the United States have not yielded progress. In the ongoing fifth year of the conflict, many believe no resolution is in sight. Leningrad governor Alexander Drozdenko reported 20,000 people without power in the town of Yanino, where a substation was hit. Five people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning after debris from drone strikes ignited a fire at a residence.

Smoke from the attack was visible over Saint Petersburg's shipyards, overlooking the Neva River. The attack coincided with Zelensky's appeal to allies to maintain pressure on Moscow to cease the war and his condemnation of Trump's decision to halt new sanctions on Russia. Zelensky alleged Russia is failing to reciprocate any concessions following sanctions relief, instead viewing any positive signals as evidence that fighting pays off.