Chaos In St. Petersburg As Massive Oil Terminal Reports Blasts During Ukrainian Drone Strikes

Ukraine reportedly launched a massive overnight drone attack on Russia, targeting the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, a data center, and a bridge on October 18, 2026, with videos showing the city in flames and in widespread chaos.

According to eyewitness accounts, the explosions at the terminal lit up the night sky, which was seen by its 5.6 million residents.

The oil terminal, situated in the port premises, was engulfed in flames. The terminal is one of the biggest fuel export and storage facilities in the country, shipping petroleum products via waterways, railways, and even roadways, recording an annual throughput of 12.5 million tons.

Another site of attack was the data center of Moscow’s biggest social media platform, VK, earlier known as VKontakte. The company said that its services are operational, though users reported disruptions and outages.

Ozen, an e-commerce firm, also reported an attack on its logistics centres, adding that fortunately all employees were safely evacuated from the building, though deliveries might be delayed since they need to be rerouted through other branches.

The Governor of Leningrad Oblast, Aleksandr Drozdenko, confirmed the attacks. The drone debris fell on four cars while fires were confirmed at many locations within the city.

One individual was killed, and many have been injured in the latest attack, which damaged 12 apartment buildings and 4 houses in St Petersburg.

Fire Point, a Drone builder in Ukraine, said that its FP-1 drones were used in the attacks, which came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a deal with Russia to export diesel amidst increasing fuel prices before the November mid-term elections.

Trump also announced that an energy ceasefire was declared between Russia and Ukraine to prevent attacks on ports, oil terminals, refineries, and storage facilities.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed dissatisfaction with this move, to which Trump said that maybe Kyiv needs a new leader.

A power station was also hit in the attack, which led to prolonged blackouts and water shortages in the region.

This is not the first time that Ukraine has targeted the city of St. Petersburg, which is the second-biggest Russian city. When media outlets asked the Kremlin spokesperson about the attacks, Dmitry Pesko said that they were ‘incapable of changing the course of events.’