Ukraine has struck Russia's largest oil terminal on the Baltic Sea during one of its biggest overnight drone attacks in months.
The aerial assault targeted the Primorsk oil port in the Leningrad region, the final station of the Baltic Pipeline System and a crucial hub for Russia's maritime exports, Ukraine's security services told multiple outlets.
More than half of the 221 drones sent to Russian territory were intercepted over the Bryansk and Smolensk regions, where Lukoil facilities were also reportedly targeted, the Russian defence ministry said.
Meanwhile, officials said two civilians were killed in Ukraine's Sumy region when a Russian glide bomb struck a village near the border.
Authorities in the Leningrad region reported that 28 drones were brought down, and a fire broke out at a vessel and a pumping station in Primorsk, although this was extinguished without casualties or leaks.
The port is also central to Russia's "shadow fleet" of ageing tankers used to circumvent international sanctions.
The Ukrainian security services indicated that drone strikes also hit several pumping stations feeding the Ust-Luga terminal near the Estonia border.
Russian state energy firm Rosatom reported a drone attack on a power unit at its Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant, close to the Belarussian border.
According to Russian officials, drones were intercepted across at least nine other regions, including Kaluga, Novgorod, and Moscow, with claims of drone debris scattered across various areas, yet authorities insisted there were no casualties.
In Bryansk, a drone struck a bus, injuring seven people, including five civilians and two military personnel. Operations at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport were briefly suspended.
Moscow's figures, unverified by the BBC, suggest that Thursday's attack represents one of the largest Ukrainian aerial bombardments in over four months.
By contrast, Russian sources claimed to have destroyed a record 524 drones on May 7, while Ukrainian officials stated Russia deployed 818 drones against their territory recently.
This aerial assault is viewed as a major development for the Leningrad region since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three and a half years ago, temporarily halting operations at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport.
Cross-border drone raids have become more common in the ongoing conflict; a previous drone attack forced Moscow's airports to shut down briefly.
In recent months, Ukrainian strikes have penetrated deeper into Russian territory, hitting refineries, fuel depots, and logistics hubs far from the frontline to disrupt fuel supplies and inflate costs.
August saw a spike in such attacks, impacting over a dozen refineries. According to the White House, Ukraine disabled about 20% of Russia's oil refining capacity that month, while Russian media attributed the damage to "unscheduled repairs."
The Russian newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets highlighted that petrol supplies are nearing critical levels, with reports of extensive queues and price surges in far eastern Russia.
Strikes have disrupted the Druzhba pipeline, affecting exports to Hungary and Slovakia, potentially cutting off significant foreign currency earnings for Russia.
In response, Moscow has ramped up missile and drone strikes targeting Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure as US-led peace negotiations stall.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted on Friday that negotiations have reached a 'pause,' blaming Ukraine's European allies for obstructing the process.
The recent attacks coincided with the onset of a major military exercise between Russia and its ally Belarus, held every four years, which follows several incidents of Russian drones downed or crashing in Poland—an unprecedented breach of its airspace.
