Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces carried out overnight strikes against energy and military-related targets deep inside Russia, including the St Petersburg oil terminal, facilities at the Kronstadt naval base and a defence enterprise in the Tambov region.
A large fire was reported in St Petersburg after Russian officials said Leningrad Oblast had faced a mass drone attack. Russian media and Telegram channels identified the Petersburg Oil Terminal as a target. Videos circulating online showed flames and heavy smoke around an area described as part of the port, according to the supplied report.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Leningrad Oblast, said Russian air defences had repelled an attack involving 30 drones. He had earlier reported that three drones were intercepted over the region. The independent Telegram channel Astra said its analysis of eyewitness videos placed the fire at the oil terminal, one of northwestern Russia's largest oil-handling facilities.
The available evidence did not provide a Russian confirmation that the terminal itself had been struck or a verified assessment of damage. Security measures were also introduced at St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport, where more than 10 outbound flights were reported delayed or cancelled.
Zelenskyy later confirmed Ukraine's involvement. He said the operation involved the Security Service of Ukraine, Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, the State Border Guard Service and other defence units. He described the targets as important facilities supporting Russia's war effort.
The Ukrainian president said the oil terminal was about 1,100 kilometres from Ukraine's border and that military targets at Kronstadt had also been reached. He additionally reported a successful strike on an enterprise in Tambov Oblast, nearly 600 kilometres from the front line, which he said was involved in weapons production.
Russian Telegram channels had earlier reported a suspected drone strike on the Progress plant in Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast. The facility was reported to produce specialised control systems and other equipment for military aviation and missile technology. Russian authorities had not confirmed the full extent of damage there.
The attacks coincided with the opening of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, scheduled for June 3 through June 6. The annual event is used by Moscow to project economic resilience despite sanctions and international isolation connected to its war against Ukraine.
Kyiv has repeatedly described its campaign against Russian oil terminals, refineries and fuel depots as long-range sanctions intended to reduce resources supporting the war. The latest operation combined that energy focus with claimed attacks on naval and defence-industrial targets, but several damage assessments remained based on Ukrainian statements and open-source reports rather than confirmation from Russian authorities.
