Drones Hit Oil Terminal in St. Petersburg, Fuel Tanks Burning

On the morning of June 3, drones attacked an oil terminal in the port of St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Exilenova+ Telegram channel published videos of the strike, filmed by local residents.

The footage captures storage tanks containing petroleum products burning on the facility’s premises following the attack.

Witnesses reported numerous explosions in the city. Videos capture the sound of Russian air defense systems operating as they attempted to shoot down the drones.

The target of the strike drones was JSC St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, which, according to Astra, is one of Russia’s largest facilities for handling and transshipping petroleum products in the Baltic region.

Meanwhile, at around 7:00 a.m., Alexandr Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad Region, claimed that 50 drones had allegedly been shot down over the region. However, he did not comment on the fire in St. Petersburg that continues to burn as a result of the strike.

The oil terminal occupies a total area of 37 hectares and contains 21 storage tanks for light and dark petroleum products. The facility has an annual throughput capacity of 12.5 million tonnes.

The St. Petersburg Oil Terminal is located within the Greater Port of St. Petersburg and receives fuel delivered by rail, river vessels, and road transport, after which it is loaded onto seagoing tankers for export.

The terminal has been designated as an enterprise of strategic importance for Russia’s security.

Russian media also reported that flights departing from St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport were delayed or canceled in the morning.

It is also noteworthy that the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is starting today and will run until June 6. Foreign business representatives were expected to attend the event. It is currently unclear how the drone attack will affect the forum.

On June 2, a fire broke out at the Ilsky Oil Refinery following a Ukrainian drone strike on the night. The facility is located in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. It is one of the largest private oil refining enterprises in the region. The refinery plays an important role in supplying fuel both to the domestic market and for export.