In brief
On 4 July 2026, Ukraine launched a series of drone attacks that damaged the largest oil terminal in Russia’s northwest, located in St. Petersburg. The strike, described by President Zelensky as a key “infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war”, caused a massive column of black smoke and left the facility’s 12.5 million‑tonne annual throughput at risk of shutdown. Russian officials denied the claim, but the governor of Leningrad region reported shooting down 72 drones and urged residents to stay indoors. In the same day Ukraine’s media denied that Kostyantynivka was under Russian control, while Moscow’s defence ministry blamed the attacks on Zelensky’s attempt to distract from recent offensives. The incident underscores Ukraine’s strategy of targeting energy exports to weaken Russia’s war economy, amid a broader escalation ahead of NATO’s summit in Turkey.
Ukraine Strikes Major Oil Terminal in St. Petersburg
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that a series of long‑range drones had struck Russia’s biggest oil terminal in the north‑western city of St. Petersburg. He described it as a “key infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war”.
St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov confirmed the city was under a massive drone assault, noting the terminal was hit but there were no casualties. He reported that 72 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the city and the wider Leningrad region.
The facility produces approximately 12.5 million tonnes of petroleum products per year and is vital to Russia’s fuel supply chain. Ukraine’s military said it also struck a key naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt.
In a separate statement, Kyiv’s military spokesperson Maj Andriy Kovalyov denied that the eastern town of Kostyantynivka was fully under Russian control. He highlighted the “fortress belt” that Ukraine maintains in Donetsk while acknowledging the presence of small infiltration groups within Russian lines.
The Russian defence ministry counter‑claimed that Ukraine’s attacks were a distraction from its objectives, referencing a recent strike on Kyiv and a “catastrophic failure” at Kostyantynivka. It also warned that Ukrainian attacks on civilian facilities would not go unanswered.
The escalation comes as both sides seek to prepare for the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey. Meanwhile, Putin sent a congratulatory note to former U.S. President Donald Trump over the U.S. Independence celebrations, calling for constructive relations between the two countries.
Additional reporting by BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale in Moscow.
