Drone Attack Hits St. Petersburg, Sparks Fire at Oil Terminal

St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region in Russia came under a large-scale drone attack. A fire broke out at an oil terminal in the port, and a data center operated by Russian tech company VK was also hit. Power outages were reported in some areas, and airport operations were restricted.

Anadolu Agency reported on October 18 that St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said fires broke out at civilian infrastructure in four districts of the city as a result of the drone attack. A fire also erupted at the St. Petersburg oil terminal site, prompting firefighters to respond. Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for the attack.

The assault took place between the previous night and the early hours of October 18. Videos filmed by local residents and posted on social media showed repeated explosions near the port and flames rising into the air. Germany's public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that the oil terminal and a VK data center were struck. Residents also complained of power outages in some neighborhoods.

VK also confirmed that one of its data centers in the Leningrad region was hit by a drone strike. Its digital services were operating normally, the company said. VK did not disclose the extent of the damage at the data center.

Nearby residential areas and power facilities were also damaged. Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 126 drones were shot down over the region, and falling debris damaged homes, power lines and vehicles. Damage to power infrastructure cut off electricity in some areas.

Transport was also disrupted. St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport temporarily suspended flight operations for safety reasons. Beglov said there were no fatalities from the attacks on the city and that mobile internet service could be disrupted.