Ukrainian Drones Hit Saint Petersburg Oil Sites as Russian Strikes Cut Power to Over One Million Ukrainians

Ukrainian drones struck Saint Petersburg overnight on 18 October 2026, setting fire to an oil terminal and the Ruchyi oil depot and killing one person, according to city governor Alexander Beglov, as reported by France 24 with AFP. Two days earlier, Russian attacks on nine Ukrainian regions killed at least eight people and cut power to more than one million, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported, citing Ukrainian officials.

The exchange follows a short-lived "energy ceasefire" that neither government had agreed to, and comes amid friction between Kyiv and Washington.

What happened in Saint Petersburg?

Beglov said one person died and five were hospitalised, that firefighters fought blazes at the oil terminal, the Ruchyi depot and industrial warehouses, that 12 residential buildings were damaged and that flights at Pulkovo airport were restricted, according to France 24. Leningrad regional head Alexander Drozdenko said air defences downed 144 Ukrainian drones and that a substation hit in the town of Yanino left 20,000 people without power. Russian state media called it the largest attack on the city since the full-scale war began in 2022, France 24 reported.

Companies also reported damage: VKontakte said its data centre was hit, and the retailer Ozon said a logistics centre was struck. These descriptions come from Russian officials, companies and state media and have not been independently verified. Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said it intercepted 644 Ukrainian drones overnight, and Interfax reported more than 200 flights delayed at four Moscow airports, according to an Associated Press report carried by PBS NewsHour filed on 16 October. That report describes a different night from the Saint Petersburg strike.

What did Russian strikes do to Ukraine's grid?

On Friday 16 October, Russian attacks killed at least eight people and wounded 60, according to Ukrainian officials quoted by Al Jazeera. Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said two people were killed and 12 wounded in the city. Two people died in Kramatorsk and two in the Dnipropetrovsk region. In Volyn, governor Roman Romaniuk said a drone strike on a food-processing plant killed one and wounded eight. In Rivne, governor Oleksandr Koval said strikes on a shopping centre and other sites killed one and wounded seven.

Ukraine's Ministry of Energy said crews restored power to over one million people who had lost it. About 370,000 households in Volyn were cut off, and Lutsk mayor Andriy Razumovskyi said the outage there could last at least 24 hours. AP, filing earlier, counted at least 15 wounded and hundreds of thousands of households without power.

Al Jazeera reported that Russia's military chief told President Vladimir Putin on Friday that the army had allocated the assets needed for its aerial campaign against Ukraine's energy system. AP said officials report Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for attacks in coming months.

The United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine recorded at least 328 civilians killed and 2,105 wounded in September, 85% more than in September 2025, according to both Al Jazeera and AP. For January to September 2026 it counted 2,570 civilians killed and 15,211 wounded, nearly 60% above the same period of 2025, Al Jazeera reported. Mission head Danielle Bell said: "The first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years."

How did the energy ceasefire collapse?

According to France 24, US President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" the previous week without either side having agreed to it, and it quickly collapsed. President Volodymyr Zelensky put the number of Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy, oil and gas facilities since the announcement at 76, a figure France 24 attributes to him; Moscow has not been quoted accepting it. AP reported that Ukraine ended the truce on Thursday, saying Moscow ignored it. Kyiv describes its refinery strikes as retaliation for Russian attacks on its power system, per France 24, which noted that Ukrainian strikes caused nationwide fuel shortages in Russia earlier this year.

Why are Kyiv and Washington at odds?

France 24 reported that Trump has criticised Ukraine's refinery strikes for contributing to higher global fuel prices, blocked a package of new sanctions on Russia this week targeting Putin and the energy and defence sectors, and signed an agreement this month to buy diesel from Moscow, a step France 24 said was seen as an attempt to lower US fuel prices before elections. Zelensky criticised the sanctions block and said Russia "must face pressure for peace to have a chance."

AP reported that Zelensky said he felt betrayed by Trump, and that Trump told Newsmax: "Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with." Ukrainian officials say Trump is pressing Kyiv to give up land, according to AP; that is their characterisation, not a confirmed US position. Zelensky also said Ukraine is desperately short of US-made Patriot missiles, with only small numbers arriving, bought by European countries or supplied from other stocks.

AP additionally reported that Zelensky complained of a breakdown in Western intelligence sharing, with no specifics on what was withheld, by whom or when. It also reported that SpaceX's military-grade Starlink service, Starshield, was sharply restricted to a speed of 70 kph, which Zelensky called "a dangerous and unpleasant surprise." Interceptor drones need higher speeds to counter Russian jet-powered drones moving above 400 kph, AP said. Zelensky said speeds are being restored but have not returned to earlier levels.

Putin recently appeared in military uniform and said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine by force, France 24 reported, and US-led peace talks have produced no breakthrough.

What happens next?

European leaders met in Brussels on Friday, applauded Zelensky and pledged continued support, AP reported. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said dealing with American allies is "very difficult at the moment." Zelensky said the war will cost Ukraine 155 billion euros next year and that Kyiv needs at least 70 billion euros from Europe.

Open questions include whether Washington changes its stance on sanctions or on Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, and whether either side revives a limited energy truce.

What we don't know yet

Damage in Saint Petersburg has not been independently verified. Ukraine's own account of which sites it targeted was not detailed in the reports reviewed. Casualty totals from 16 October differ slightly between outlets and may change. The scope of any intelligence-sharing restriction remains unspecified.