Residents in several parts of the city were awakened by a roar, reports the Fontanka news site. In the morning, fires were still burning in several places.
Russian air defenses have shot down at least 144 drones over the Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, according to the region’s governor, Aleksandr Drozdenko. Drone debris has struck apartment buildings and a parking lot, causing damage, fires and a major power outage.
People are reported to have suffered burn and smoke inhalation injuries, but there are no reports of deaths.
Defying Trump’s demands
St. Petersburg’s major oil terminal - the largest of its kind in the Baltic Sea region - is on fire, according to Russian authorities and media. Images posted on various independent channels show open flames and extensive smoke.
The United States has demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian energy facilities, in a new dispute over a deal involving diesel, in which US President Donald Trump has decided to invade Russia.
Trump is keen to get more oil on the market to bring down high gasoline prices in the US ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Prices have soared as a result of Trump and the US war on Iran, as Iran has retaliated by cutting off a large part of the world’s oil exports from the Persian Gulf. Attempts to negotiate over the issue in recent months have failed.
Ukraine has said that attacks on oil facilities will continue as long as Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s power supply.
Flights halted again
VKontakte, Russia’s equivalent of Facebook, reports that one of its data centers in the area has been attacked with drones. A large warehouse belonging to Russian retail giant Ozon has also been attacked.
At Pulkovo, the large airport, morning departures have been canceled or postponed. During a drone alert on Saturday night, a Russian charter flight en route to Pulkovo from Egypt had to land in Finland instead.
According to images that are difficult to verify and have appeared on independent Russian media channels, a drone has also crashed into a large bridge in St. Petersburg. Russia attacked a similar bridge in Kyiv the other week.
At 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Swedish time, Russian authorities sounded the drone alarm.