On the night of 18 October 2026, St Petersburg in Russia came under a massive drone attack, which caused a fire at the \u00abSt Petersburg Oil Terminal\u00bb \u2013 one of the largest oil product transhipment complexes in the Baltic region. Russian Governor Alexander Beglov officially confirmed the fire at the facility and at other sites across the city. According to reports from OSINT sources, the strike hit the tank farm where petroleum products are stored prior to export. As a result of the attack, operations at Pulkovo Airport were temporarily restricted, and power cuts were reported in some areas.<\/p>\n
On the night of Saturday 18 October, residents of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region reported numerous explosions, the activation of Russian air defences and fires at industrial sites. According to a monitoring channel Exilenova+<\/strong>, One of the targets of the attack was the \u00abSt Petersburg Oil Terminal\u00bb<\/strong>, situated in the Big Port of St Petersburg.<\/p>\n A large-scale fire broke out on the complex\u2019s premises following the strikes. Footage shared on social media shows intense flames and thick plumes of black smoke. OSINT analysts report that the fire broke out in the vicinity of the tank farm. According to preliminary information, one of the storage tanks for petroleum products may have been damaged.<\/p>\n Governor of St Petersburg Oleksandr Beglov<\/strong> acknowledged that a large-scale drone attack had taken place on the city. He reported that the emergency services were extinguishing fires at the \u00abSt Petersburg Oil Terminal\u00bb and at other city infrastructure sites. According to him, fires broke out in the Nevsky, Krasnoselsky, Krasnogvardeisky and Moskovsky districts.<\/p>\n Due to the threat of further attacks, temporarily Restrictions have been placed on aircraft arrivals and departures at Pulkovo Airport<\/strong>. Beglov also warned residents of possible disruptions to mobile internet services. According to him, there have been no fatalities.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the governor of the Leningrad Region Oleksandr Drozdzenko<\/strong> claimed that 126 drones had allegedly been shot down over the region. There is no independent confirmation of this figure.<\/p>\n \u00abSt Petersburg Oil Terminal\u00bb is one of Russia\u2019s major logistics complexes, providing storage and transhipment services for petroleum products in the Baltic region. The facility receives petroleum products by various modes of transport, stores them in tanks and arranges for their subsequent shipment to seagoing vessels.<\/p>\n Key features of the complex:<\/p>\n 12.5 million tonnes per year \u2014 the terminal\u2019s stated throughput capacity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n 31 tanks \u2014 the number of tanks according to figures released by the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces in June.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n 324,000 m\u00b3 \u2014 the total capacity of the tanks, according to the same data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n The Baltic Sea is the main route for the shipment of products by sea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The terminal plays a significant role in Russia\u2019s exports of petroleum products. Damage to the storage tanks or transhipment equipment could disrupt its operations.<\/p>\nThe Russian authorities have confirmed a fire at the factory<\/h2>\n
What is known about the St Petersburg oil terminal<\/h2>\n
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The oil terminal had already been attacked in June and July<\/h2>\n