Ukrainian strikes set an oil export terminal and a depot ablaze in St. Petersburg on Sunday as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of its largest aerial attacks of the war, reports BritPanorama.
The strikes came amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump criticizing Kyiv’s attacks on Russian oil infrastructure and the prospect of further U.S. sanctions against Moscow remaining uncertain.
One person was killed and five others were wounded in the St. Petersburg attack, which sparked fires at the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the city’s Ruchi oil depot, local Gov. Alexander Beglov said. A logistics center belonging to Russian retailer Ozon and a data center operated by Russian tech giant VK were also targeted, the companies confirmed.
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that its forces had destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, including Crimea and the Black Sea.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency Tass that Kyiv was “resisting” Moscow’s invasion but could not “change the current course of events.”
Future of U.S. sanctions still unclear
The strikes followed Trump’s remarks indicating uncertainty regarding his decision on additional sanctions against Russia, despite signing an executive order Friday night waiving planned restrictions in the name of U.S. national interests.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that waiving sanctions against Russia would bolster Putin’s war efforts. He also noted that U.S.-Ukraine intelligence sharing had resumed after being “blocked for some period of time.”
Zelenskyy expressed trust in Trump but stressed that siding with Moscow would be a tragedy and a “historic mistake” for Washington. “People want to forget what’s going on. But we can’t give this possibility to forget, or to change reality, or to change the truth,” he asserted, characterizing Putin as an aggressor and a terrorist and urging clarity from Trump.
A woman was killed and a 6-year-old girl was among at least two other individuals wounded in two Russian strikes on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials reported Sunday. The attacks damaged two apartment buildings, 18 cars, and an educational institution, according to Mykhailo Semikin, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration.
Russia continues energy attacks, Kyiv says
On October 11, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” in the ongoing war, but provided no further details. However, Kyiv reported Russian attacks on energy facilities soon after his announcement.
Ukraine confirmed that it had resumed attacks on Russian oil installations following a three-day pause.
Zelenskyy reacted with indignation to Russia’s ongoing bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, indicating defiance against Trump’s call for both parties to cease such attacks. The Ukrainian government had initially claimed it was observing the ceasefire.
In a post on X on Sunday, Zelenskyy stated that Russia had assaulted Ukraine’s energy, oil, and gas sectors 76 times in the week since Trump’s announcement. He reported that energy facilities in four Ukrainian regions had been targeted overnight, leaving tens of thousands of families without power, accusing Russia of attempting to induce a blackout.
“America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements. On the contrary, every indication of opportunity to profit is taken as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can continue fighting,” he wrote, reiterating that the war persisted due to Russia’s invasion, not Ukraine’s defensive measures.
Zelenskyy emphasized that it is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance. “Thank you to everyone who understands this and helps,” he concluded.
