Drone Attack Hits Russia’s St. Petersburg, Ignites Fire at Oil Terminal
Summary
- St. Petersburg and Russia’s Leningrad region said they were hit by a large-scale drone attack, damaging a port oil terminal and a VK data center operated by the Russian technology company.
- The attack also disrupted infrastructure, with some power facilities damaged, causing blackouts, while airport flight operations were temporarily suspended.
- VK said its data center in the Leningrad region was hit in the drone strike, but digital services were operating normally, and it did not disclose the extent of the damage.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
Russia’s St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region came under a large-scale drone attack. A fire broke out at an oil terminal at the port, and a data center operated by Russian technology company VK was also hit. Parts of the area lost power, and airport operations were restricted.
Turkey’s 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, prompting firefighters to respond. Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for the attack.
The assault took place between the previous night and early 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 VK data center were hit, and that residents reported power outages in some areas.
VK also confirmed that its data center in the Leningrad region had been targeted in the drone strike. The company said digital services were operating normally. It did not disclose the extent of the damage.
Nearby residential areas and power facilities were also damaged. Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 126 drones were shot down over the region, with falling debris damaging homes, power lines and vehicles. Damage to power infrastructure cut electricity supply in some areas.
Transport was also disrupted. St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport temporarily suspended flight operations for safety reasons. Beglov said there were no deaths from the attack on the city. He added that mobile internet services could face disruptions.
