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Ukraine carried out its largest-ever drone attack on St. Petersburg on Sunday, defying U.S. demands to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Fires broke out at the St. Petersburg port oil terminal, Governor Alexander Beglov said, sending a large plume of black smoke into the night sky.
The attacks showed Ukraine was determined to continue its campaign of strikes against Russian refineries, which it halted after US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement that the two countries had agreed to an “energy ceasefire.” He resumed his campaign after Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Trump said last Sunday that he had agreed to the ceasefire, reached a diesel deal with Moscow and lifted a series of new sanctions on its energy exports. But Ukraine’s president said the energy ceasefire had failed to stop Russian strikes, with more than 76 attacks on the country’s energy, oil and gas facilities recorded in the past week, leading to major power outages.
“The main targets of these strikes are energy facilities – the Russians are trying to cause a power outage,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on X on Sunday.
“America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal action in response to sanctions relief or agreements.”
St. Petersburg air defense said it shot down 146 drones on Sunday. One person was killed and nine injured in the attacks, they added.
Parts of Russia’s second city lost power for several hours after the drones hit an electricity substation, according to online media Astra. State-owned VK, one of Russia’s largest technology companies and parent company of the social network VKontakte, said one of its data centers was also hit.
Online marketplace Ozon said a fire broke out after a drone strike on a warehouse in the city, the first time Ukraine had targeted logistics infrastructure since mid-September.
Airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg were closed for several hours during the attack. Hundreds of flights have been canceled over the past two weeks as Ukraine has expanded its strikes, adding to disruptions for Russian travelers who have become accustomed to planning their trips thinking they might be seriously delayed or land in another city because of the drones.
Alina, a 33-year-old woman who lives in the Nevsky district in the southeast of the city, one of the worst-hit areas, told the FT that she woke up to the sound of explosions at 3 a.m. and continued to hear them until 6 a.m.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down 1,015 drones across the country on Sunday, including 512 in the Moscow region, according to local authorities.
The dispute over targeting energy infrastructure has further dented relations between kyiv and the White House since Zelensky’s infamous Oval Office blow-up with Trump in February 2025.
The United States, which previously provided crucial data on the targeting of the strikes, said it repeatedly asked Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian refineries and then allowed Moscow to export diesel amid rising prices in global markets.
Ukraine has accused the United States of limiting its military support in favor of abruptly striking economic deals with Russia, even as Putin has shown no interest in curbing his own air attack.
Zelensky said several power substations were hit in central and southern Ukraine as Russia launched 180 drones, a ballistic missile and several “Banderol” cruise missiles overnight Sunday. One hundred and fifty-two drones were shot down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Speaking to reporters in a WhatsApp chat on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he expected the United States to lift more sanctions against Russia. Trump’s decision to lift sanctions imposed by a law passed by Congress last month “only helps the Russians,” Zelensky said.
kyiv was blindsided this week by unexplained speed limitations on the Starlink communications system used by the military to pilot drones used to strike Russian targets behind the front line, as well as strike drones striking Ukrainian cities.
Zelensky said the restrictions were “a planned operation.”
Additional reporting by Anastasia Stognei in Berlin and Katya Arenina in Vilnius
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