Ukraine strikes major oil terminal in Russian city of Saint Petersburg

Image caption, The Ukrainian military described the oil terminal in Saint Petersburg as 'one of the largest' in Russia

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Author, Yaroslav Lukiv, Role, BBC News

Published 4 July 2026

Reading time: 4 minutes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine had targeted a major oil terminal in Saint Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city in the northwest, overnight.

Zelensky described the terminal as 'vital infrastructure that generates revenue for the Russian war effort.' Ukraine also claimed to have targeted a major Russian naval base in the region.

Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city had been hit by a 'large-scale' drone attack, acknowledging the targeting of the oil terminal, with no reports of casualties.

Ukraine has recently intensified its long-range drone attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Russia, causing acute fuel shortages. Kyiv says about 43 percent of Russia's oil refining capacity has been 'disrupted' as a result.

However, the claim has not been independently verified.

Ukraine says Russian oil and gas facilities are legitimate targets, as Moscow heavily relies on fossil fuel exports to sustain its war effort.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who last week in a rare acknowledgment admitted to fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian attacks, signed a law on Saturday aimed at boosting fuel supplies in the domestic market.

Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv

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Zelensky said on Saturday morning that the targets in Saint Petersburg and the surrounding area are about 850 km (528 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but a video released by the Ukrainian president showed a drone flying toward a target and a massive column of black smoke rising from the area after the strike.

The BBC later verified the targeting of the oil terminal in Saint Petersburg.

The Ukrainian military described the terminal as 'one of the largest' in Russia, capable of producing 12.5 million tons of petroleum products annually.

The military also announced the targeting of a major naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt.

Russia has not officially commented on this claim.

Governor Beglov said 72 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Saint Petersburg and the wider Leningrad region.

He urged city residents to stay indoors until the drone threat subsides. He warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet services.

More than five million people live in Saint Petersburg.

In a separate development on Saturday, the Ukrainian military denied that the town of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine was under full Russian control.

Ukrainian military spokesman Major Andriy Kovaliov told the BBC that 'Kostiantynivka is still under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.'

He acknowledged 'cases of infiltration by small groups of infantry deep into the combat formations of our forces' but added that these groups are being detected and eliminated.

His remarks came a day after Putin declared in June that Russia had taken control of the town of Kostiantynivka.

The Kremlin leader provided no evidence to support his claim.

Later on Saturday, Zelensky wrote on Telegram: 'If Kostiantynivka is now under Russian control, then Putin would probably have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to end the war once and for all. But he will not cross the front line: the truth is completely different from Putin's words.'

Kostiantynivka is one of the heavily fortified cities forming the Ukrainian 'belt of fortresses' in the Donetsk region, most of which is under Russian control.

In its latest operational update on Saturday afternoon, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had shot down more than 500 Ukrainian drones and missiles launched overnight and in the morning.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry described the Ukrainian attacks as an attempt by Zelensky to 'distract' Ukrainians and 'foreign supporters' from the aftermath of one of the largest and most brutal Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on July 2, as well as the 'abject failure' of Ukrainian forces in Kostiantynivka.

The ministry stressed that Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian facilities 'will not go unanswered.'

Both sides appear to be seeking an advantage ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for next week in Turkey.

On Saturday, Putin sent a congratulatory message to US President Donald Trump on the occasion of the Fourth of July celebrations in the United States, calling for 'constructive relations' between the two countries.

The Russian leader visited military commanders on Friday, where he claimed to have regained control of Kostiantynivka.

Zelensky said Putin chose to mislead the world about the situation on the front.

This war is as much about words as it is about missiles.

Additional reporting by BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale in Moscow.

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