Ukraine: ‘St Petersburg oil terminal hit by drones’
This is according to reports in the Kyiv media
A series of explosions has rocked St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin’s hometown, where fires broke out at an oil terminal after a drone attack was reported in the port area, according to Ukrainian media, including RBC-Ukraine, which are citing reports from local Russian public channels. Among these is a post by the public OSINT channels on Telegram, specifically Exilenova+. According to RBC, the local authorities warned of possible internet outages, but this did not prevent Russians from recording videos and taking photographs of the ‘effects’ of the attack.
The Ukrainians are striking not only in Russia but also in occupied Crimea. A ferry terminal, a military airport and an electrical substation are ablaze in Crimea, which is occupied by Russian armed forces, following attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces. This is reported by Ukrinform, citing the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, a Ukrainian civic journalism and monitoring group focusing on occupied Crimea. “The Krym ferry terminal in Kerch has been attacked and is on fire,” writes Crimean Wind. The channel also reported a fire at a military airport in Dzhankoi and another blaze at the 35 kV Polymer electrical substation in Krasnopereko
On the other side of the front line, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reported that a Russian attack had struck the city of Sumy, killing four people, including a child. “The Russians dropped bombs directly on the civilian population in the city centre. There may still be people trapped under the rubble of a high-rise building. Unfortunately, we are currently counting four victims, including a child,” he said. “My condolences go out to their families and loved ones. A further 27 people were injured, including six children. Many have suffered serious injuries.”
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has also denied the claims made by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the alleged occupation of Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region, by Russian troops. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda. General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovalev stated that the town is under the control of Kyiv’s forces and that military units are continuing their defensive operation within the boundaries of Kostyantynivka and in the areas surrounding the town. Kovalev went on to say that there have been instances of infiltration by small groups of Russian infantry and that counter-sabotage operations are currently underway.
On Friday, Putin visited the Russian military headquarters overseeing the war in Ukraine and was briefed on the capture of the town of Kostyantynivka, which followed weeks of intense street fighting. He hailed the event as a crucial step towards capturing the neighbouring towns of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the main remaining strongholds in the so-called ‘forest belt’ of heavily fortified towns in the Donetsk region that are still in Ukrainian hands. The capture of Kostyantynivka, a major industrial and transport hub, is of “great strategic importance”, said Putin, dressed in military uniform, in a televised address.
