St Petersburg governor reports one dead as drone attacks ignite oil-site fires

One person was killed and five others were taken to hospital during an overnight drone attack on St Petersburg on 18 October, according to the Russian city's governor, Aleksandr Beglov. He said 12 blocks of flats and two private homes were damaged, and blamed Ukraine for the attack. [1]

Beglov initially reported no deaths, then revised the toll. Firefighters were still tackling blazes at the Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpino district, he said. Russian outlet ASTRA said it had located a fire at the oil terminal using video sent by readers. The extent of damage there, and any effect on oil handling, remains unclear. [1] [3]

In the surrounding Leningrad region, governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said air defences shot down 145 drones overnight. That is an updated count for the region, not a tally for St Petersburg itself. He reported damage to homes and vehicles, along with power cuts. A woman and three children were admitted to hospital with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning after a house fire in the Vsevolozhsk district, he said. They are separate from the casualties reported in the city. [2]

VK said its data centre in the Leningrad region had been attacked, but maintained that its services were operating normally. ASTRA reported complaints from users about access; the cause of those problems and the extent of any damage to the centre remain unclear. Pulkovo airport temporarily restricted flights before resuming arrivals and departures under controls. [3] [4]

ASTRA also said video sent by readers showed an explosion at the bridge over the Korabelny Fairway. A city transport channel announced the temporary closure of a section of the Western High-Speed Diameter, but that closure does not establish whether the bridge was damaged. [3] [4]