Ukraine's Drones Strike Putin's Prized Oil Terminal Twice in a Month

Ukraine has attacked Russia's St. Petersburg Oil Terminal twice within one month, using long-range drones that flew hundreds of kilometers to hit deep inside Russian territory. This terminal is very important to Russia because it is one of the country's biggest oil export hubs. It covers about 37 hectares of land, has 21 to 31 large oil storage tanks, and can handle up to 12.5 million tons of oil products every year, including crude oil, diesel, aviation fuel, and more. This terminal earns Russia a lot of foreign money, which helps fund its war against Ukraine.

The first attack happened on June 3, 2026. Ukraine timed it very cleverly - it happened just one day before a big international economic event in St. Petersburg, where President Putin was going to give a speech to investors from other countries, including Saudi Arabia, to show that Russia's economy was strong despite Western sanctions. Instead, the drones flew over 1,000 kilometers, got past Russian air defenses, and hit both the oil terminal and a nearby naval base, damaging a warship. Thick black smoke rose over the city, visible to foreign visitors, and the local airport had to stop flights for some time.

The second attack happened on July 4, 2026, and this one was much bigger. It involved several Ukrainian military and intelligence agencies working together, using a large number of drones. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said the target was about 850 kilometers from Ukraine's border, showing how far Ukraine's drones can now reach. He called this strategy "long-range sanctions" - meaning that by destroying Russia's oil income, Ukraine is punishing Russia economically instead of just militarily. Russian officials confirmed that the city's Kirovsky district was hit again, and said they shot down 72 drones in the region. Along with St. Petersburg, another port called Vysotsk, about 170 km away, was also hit, causing fires at another oil terminal. Sadly, this attack also caused casualties - one person died and two others were injured, including a 10-year-old child, according to Russian-installed officials in Crimea.

Russian President Putin has downplayed these attacks, calling the damage "not critical" and claiming Ukraine is only doing this to distract attention from its own losses on the battlefield. However, in reality, these repeated attacks on oil facilities are creating a serious fuel crisis inside Russia. Many places are facing long queues at petrol stations, some pumps have run completely dry, and people are getting frustrated waiting in lines for fuel almost every few days. In Crimea, which Russia controls, the situation is so bad that authorities have stopped selling petrol to common people completely, so that fuel can be saved for military use only.
Overall, these two attacks show that Ukraine is changing its war strategy - instead of only fighting on the battlefield, it is now targeting the source of Russia's war money by attacking oil terminals deep inside Russian territory, even reaching areas close to Putin's own hometown. This is bringing the real impact of the war directly to ordinary Russian citizens, something that was not happening as much earlier in the conflict.