Drones strike oil terminal in St. Petersburg, triggering massive fire
Photo: Massive fire erupts at St. Petersburg port terminal (t.me/supernova_plus)
Drones attacked an oil terminal at the port of St. Petersburg, triggering a major fire. Explosions reportedly continued into the early morning hours, causing the blaze to spread further, according to OSINT monitoring channels.
The attack on the St. Petersburg port began during the night of June 3. Following drone attack warnings, explosions were reported in the city's port area. Numerous videos circulating online show loud blasts and a large fire accompanied by thick columns of black smoke.
Channels that first shared the footage reported that the fire broke out at an oil terminal within the port. According to available information, oil storage tanks were burning.
By early morning, explosions reportedly continued, and the fire had grown even larger.
At around 6 a.m. local time, Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Telegram that 30 drones had been shot down over the region. However, he did not comment on the reported fire at the port.
Explosions rock St. Petersburg, Russia, as an oil terminal comes under attack
Explosions rock St. Petersburg, Russia, as an oil terminal comes under attack
Explosions rock St. Petersburg, Russia, as an oil terminal comes under attack
Explosions rock St. Petersburg, Russia, as an oil terminal comes under attack
Strategic oil facility
JSC St. Petersburg Oil Terminal is the largest oil handling complex in northwestern Russia.
The facility spans 37 hectares and includes 21 storage tanks for both light and heavy petroleum products. Its annual handling capacity is 12.5 million metric tons.
The terminal has been designated a strategically important enterprise for Russia's national security. Since 2000, it has been listed in Russia's register of natural monopolies.
According to SPARK-Interfax data, the terminal generated revenue of 8.6 billion rubles in 2024 and recorded a profit of 5.8 billion rubles. In 2020, it shipped 8.2 million metric tons of petroleum products.
Notably, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was scheduled to take place in the city from June 3 to June 6.
Background
Drones targeted Moscow overnight on Wednesday. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin repeatedly reported that drones had allegedly been intercepted and that emergency services were working at sites where debris had fallen.
At the same time, drones struck the Progress defense industry plant in Russia's Tambov region during the night of June 3.
The large-scale drone attacks on Russian cities followed Russia's massive missile and drone assault on Ukraine the previous day. Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro came under attack from various types of missiles and drones.
The strikes killed dozens of people and injured more than 100, including children. More details are available in RBC-Ukraine's coverage.
