OMM Newsroom
Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russia this year overnight on Saturday, hitting a major oil terminal despite US President Donald Trump’s demand that Kyiv stop targeting Russian energy infrastructure, according to CNN.
The Russian Defence Ministry said 1,015 Ukrainian drones were shot down over various parts of the country overnight into Sunday.
Russian authorities said the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal was among the targets. The facility can handle up to 12.5 million tons of oil a year. Ukrainian drone-maker Fire Point said a fire broke out on the terminal’s grounds after the strike.
Russian distribution company Ozon said a logistics centre in St. Petersburg was also attacked. Local authorities said one person was killed and five were injured, while residential buildings were damaged.
The strikes came amid worsening relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump. Last week, Trump called Kyiv’s attacks on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace.”
A week ago, Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, as the White House sought to ease pressure on oil and diesel prices ahead of crucial midterm elections. Neither Kyiv nor Moscow confirmed such an agreement. Ukraine briefly suspended the attacks but has since resumed them, while Russia continued strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and cities.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
Ukrainian authorities said 11 people were killed and nearly 50 injured across Ukraine in Russian missile and drone attacks in the 24 hours to Sunday morning. They described one strike in the Odesa region as a massive attack on energy facilities.
“Since the American President announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine’s energy and oil and gas sectors 76 times,” Zelensky wrote on X on Sunday.
“America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements,” he said. “On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting.”
Trump has waived sanctions on imports of Russian diesel. On Friday, he also invoked a waiver exempting Russia from sweeping economic penalties mandated by the US Congress, drawing criticism from some Republicans.
Zelensky says satellite service restrictions affect drones
Zelensky has also said that the Ukrainian military’s access to the “Starlink” system for guiding short-range and battlefield drones remains curtailed.
“The maximum speed today is 161 kilometers per hour. After that, based on what I’ve seen and heard in the reports, Starlink shuts down, and we lose the drone,” he said on Saturday.
Zelensky said the restrictions also affect Ukraine’s defences. “Unfortunately, we can’t currently use Starlink or Starshield any more in our country to shoot down jet-powered shaheds,” he said, referring to drones that have caused extensive damage in Ukraine. “Starshield” is a more advanced system designed for government and national-security needs.
“The restrictions are in effect on Ukrainian territory, but they do not apply within the European Union. In other words, this is a planned operation… to restrict us, cut us off and prevent us from defending ourselves and protecting our people,” Zelensky said on Saturday.
The Trump administration has denied restricting the service.
Kyiv also said last week that it was facing Russian ballistic missile attacks without alerts from allies. US satellite networks have been important in warning the Ukrainian military of incoming missiles.
