Ukraine launched a large drone attack across Russia on Sunday, October 18, setting fire to oil facilities in St. Petersburg and killing one person, while Moscow reported downing more than 1,000 drones.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses stopped 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, occupied Crimea, and the Black Sea. That number reflects Moscow’s account and has not been independently verified. St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov reported fires at the city’s oil terminal, the Ruchi oil depot, and industrial warehouses, as well as damage to houses and apartment buildings.
Governor Beglov also said five people were injured. The attack disrupted flights at St. Petersburg’s main airport. Officials in the surrounding Leningrad region reported that roughly 20,000 people lost electricity.
Companies reported a fire at an online shopping logistics hub and a drone attack on a data center. The data center operator said its services continued running. The strikes occurred amid disagreements between Kyiv and Washington over attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and efforts to reach an energy ceasefire.
President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the strikes. Trump also defended his decision to delay new sanctions on Moscow, explaining that he wanted to keep the possibility of negotiations open.