Ukraine fires over 1,000 drones at Russia, fires reported at St Petersburg oil depots

The war between Russia and Ukraine has flared up again. Ukraine is reported to have fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia, with the attack targeting Russian oil storage and exports.

According to Russia's defence ministry, its air defence system claims to have shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones in a single night. The ministry said the drones were intercepted over various parts of Russia as well as around Crimea and the Black Sea. The attack on St Petersburg set fire to several places.

The oil terminal and the Ruchi oil depot in St Petersburg were targeted. The local administration reported fires at these sites. A fire also broke out at a logistics centre of the Russian retail company Ozon. The technology company VK said its data centre was also attacked. The strikes have raised fresh questions about the security of key energy and technology facilities in Russia.

Russia, meanwhile, has also attacked a city in Ukraine. A woman is reported to have been killed and other civilians, including a six-year-old girl, injured. Russia has promised a strong response to Ukraine over the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has alleged that Russia is continuously attacking energy facilities. According to him, Ukraine's energy, oil and gas facilities were attacked 76 times last week. Along with the war, relations between the United States and Ukraine have also come under strain, with considerable resentment and anger building up in both countries towards each other.

The war began in 2014, but full-scale fighting started on February 24, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to attack Ukraine with full force. As of October 18, 2026, the war has run for 4 years, 7 months and 24 days and shows no sign of ending.