Ukraine Strikes St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and Naval Base

Ukrainian forces launched a massive combined aerial campaign on July 4, 2026, utilizing drones, Flamingo cruise missiles, and HIMARS rockets to target multiple Russian regions. Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the operation successfully struck port oil installations in St. Petersburg and the Kronstadt naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet. In St. Petersburg, Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed a strike on an oil terminal in the Kirovsky district, while local authorities reported the brief halting of flights at Pulkovo Airport and the throttling of mobile internet to jam drone navigation.

The attacks extended to Moscow, where Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported over 200 drones targeting the capital, and Belgorod, where infrastructure damage led to power and water outages. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted 494 drones, 10 missiles, and 9 rockets nationwide, though local officials in the Leningrad Region reported between 67 and 72 drones were shot down. Russia responded with a drone strike against an oil depot in Zaporizhia, Ukraine.

Diplomatic tensions escalated as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin accused Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania of providing air corridors for the drones. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated Tallinn would accept airspace violations if the drones caused damage to Russia. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu warned that providing such airspace could be viewed as an armed attack, granting Moscow the right to self-defense under the UN Charter.