Ukraine launched one of the largest drone attacks of the entire war early Sunday, targeting over 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles towards Moscow and, particularly, Saint Petersburg — the hometown of Vladimir Putin — as a direct response to the concessions that President Donald Trump has been granting to the Kremlin, according to the EFE agency.
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged having shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones over fifteen regions in the European part of the country, making the offensive one of the most massive since the beginning of the conflict.
The governor of St. Petersburg, Alexandr Beglov, confirmed the death of one person and injuries to five others.
In Telegram, the official reported: “Emergency services continue to work to extinguish the fires at the oil terminal in Saint Petersburg, the Ruchi oil depot, and the industrial warehouses in the Kolpino district.”
The attacks have left shocking images circulating on social media.
Among the achieved objectives are the main oil terminal in the region, an electrical substation, an e-commerce warehouse, a data center for VKontakte —the Russian social network equivalent to Facebook— and a bridge, according to .
The damage at the Vostóchonaya substation left around 20,000 people without electricity in a city of more than five million inhabitants. Russian media described the attack as the most significant that St. Petersburg has endured since the onset of the war.
The return to the oil strategy
The attack represents the explicit return of Kyiv to the strategy of targeting the Russian oil industry, which had been paused under Trump's pressure following his announcement of a supposed "energy ceasefire" on October 11, never formally confirmed by either party.
On the same night as Sunday, a Russian attack involving more than 320 drones and missiles struck over 15 facilities in ten Ukrainian regions, leaving Vinnytsia completely without electricity and affecting more than 500,000 consumers.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenski, reported that in the week following Trump's announcement, Russia launched at least 76 attacks on energy facilities.
"In total, the Russians have attacked Ukraine with nearly 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 66 missiles. The main targets are energy facilities: the Russians are trying to trigger a blackout. And America should recognize that Russia is not taking any reciprocal measures in response to the easing of sanctions or agreements," the leader stated.
The Shadow of Trump's Concessions
The Ukrainian attack comes at a time of heightened tension between Kyiv and Washington. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that suspended the sanctions outlined in the Lindsey Graham Act against Russia, just 29 days after it was enacted. The law, approved with 86 votes in the Senate, included tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The measure sparked bipartisan criticism. Republican Senator Ted Cruz called it a "mistake" and warned that "the current path, unfortunately, only benefits Putin."
His colleague Thom Tillis labeled her as "irresponsible to the highest degree."
Zelensky was direct: "At a time when the Russians have carried out such a massive attack against our energy sector, unfortunately, the decision was made in the United States to completely ignore the Lindsey Graham Law, which was supposed to exert truly effective pressure on Russia to end this war."
In contrast, the Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the suspension, calling it "an important and truly historic moment."
Zelenski indicated that the negotiating teams of both countries held talks on Friday and that a possible meeting of delegations could take place in the coming days.
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