Ukraine Strikes Oil Terminal Near St Petersburg

Ukraine said it struck a major oil terminal in Russia's north-western city of St Petersburg overnight, describing the facility as key infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war. The Ukrainian military also said it hit a key naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Governor Aleksandr Beglov said the city had been under a massive drone attack and admitted the oil terminal was hit but said there had been no casualties. Governor Beglov said 72 Ukrainian drones had been shot down over St Petersburg and the wider Leningrad region. He urged city residents to stay indoors until the drone threat was over.

Ukraine's military denied that the key eastern Ukrainian town of Kostyantynivka was now under full Russian control. Military spokesman Maj Andriy Kovalyov told the BBC that Kostyantynivka remains under the control of the Defence Forces of Ukraine. He admitted there had been cases of infiltration by small infantry groups deep into the combat formations of Ukrainian forces, but added that those groups were being identified and destroyed.

Ukraine has recently intensified its long-range drone attacks on Russia's critical energy infrastructure, causing widespread fuel shortages. Kyiv says nearly 43% of Russia's oil refining capacity has been disabled as a result. The BBC has not independently verified this figure.

Ukraine says Russian oil and gas facilities are legitimate targets as Moscow relies heavily on fossil fuel exports to finance its full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022. In its latest operational bulletin on Saturday afternoon, the Russian defence ministry said it had shot down more than 500 Ukrainian drones and missiles launched overnight and in the morning.

The ministry described the Ukrainian attacks as an attempt to distract attention from the consequences of one of the biggest and deadliest Russian strikes on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, on 2 July. " — Zelensky, Saturday (Telegram) Both sides appear to want to gain the upper hand ahead of next week's Nato summit in Turkey.