UKRAINE launched a large-scale overnight drone assault on Russia's north-western Leningrad region, striking oil infrastructure near St Petersburg and targeting the strategic naval base of Kronstadt in one of the deepest attacks of the war, according to Ukrainian and Russian officials.
St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city of six million came under a "large-scale" drone attack, with the city's oil terminal among the facilities hit. He said there were no casualties and that emergency services had dealt with the aftermath.
Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said drones also struck the Baltic port of Vysotsk, approximately 170 kilometres north-west of St Petersburg. The port is a key export hub handling oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.
Drozdenko said Russian air defences intercepted 72 drones over the Leningrad region during the overnight assault.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the operation was aimed at weakening Russia's war effort by targeting critical energy infrastructure and military assets.
"Ukraine's defence forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and also hit Kronstadt, an important military target more than 850 km (528 miles) from Ukraine's state border," Reuters cited Zelenskiy saying in a post on Telegram.
Russian authorities did not comment on the reported strike against Kronstadt, the heavily fortified naval base near St Petersburg that was also targeted by Ukraine in an earlier attack in June.
Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone operations against Russian energy infrastructure this year, seeking to disrupt fuel supplies and reduce revenues supporting Moscow's military campaign.
Elsewhere, Bryansk Region Governor and the Russian-installed governor of occupied Crimea each reported one fatality following separate Ukrainian drone strikes, with several others injured.
Further south, the governor of Russia's Pskov region said more than 30 drones were intercepted overnight. He reported minor damage and injuries, including at a factory in the town of Velikiye Luki. - July 4, 2026
