St. Petersburg and Russia’s Leningrad region came under a massive drone attack overnight on October 18, triggering fires at fuel facilities and reported strikes on a VKontakte data center, an electrical substation and a road bridge. According to local authorities, four people were injured and approximately 20,000 residents were left without electricity.
Russian outlets ASTRA and Baza reported the incidents, citing open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis of eyewitness footage and statements from local officials.
Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko reported that 135 drones had been shot down over the region. He had previously put the number at 126.
In St. Petersburg, fires were reported in the Nevsky, Krasnoselsky and Krasnogvardeysky districts, as well as at the Petersburg Oil Terminal.
St. Petersburg’s largest fuel terminal catches fire
Based on geolocation analysis of eyewitness videos, an ASTRA OSINT analyst established that the Ruchyi fuel depot in St. Petersburg’s Krasnogvardeysky district caught fire following the drone attack.
It is the city’s largest fuel terminal, with a total storage capacity of 73,900 cubic meters.
The facility is used for the long-term storage and distribution of AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline, as well as diesel fuel.
Separately, the governor of Leningrad region confirmed a fire at the Petersburg Oil Terminal.
The extent of damage to the fuel facilities remains unknown.
VKontakte data center and electrical substation reportedly struck
According to ASTRA, the attack also affected a data center operated by the Russian social media platform VKontakte and the Vostochnaya electrical substation.
Both facilities are located in the village of Novosergievka in Leningrad region’s Vsevolozhsk district, near the administrative boundary with St. Petersburg.
The outlet’s OSINT analysts identified the strike locations using videos submitted by eyewitnesses.
Following the attack, users began reporting widespread disruptions to VKontakte and related services.
VK’s press office confirmed that a drone had attacked its data center but maintained that the company’s services remained operational.
“A drone attack was carried out against a VK data center in Leningrad region. VK services remain available to users as normal,” the company said.
Drone hits cable-stayed bridge across the Korabelny Fairway
Another reported target was the cable-stayed road bridge across the Korabelny Fairway in St. Petersburg.
Eyewitnesses captured the moment of the explosion on video. After analyzing the footage, ASTRA confirmed that the strike occurred on the bridge itself.
The bridge forms part of the southern section of the Western High-Speed Diameter, a toll motorway connecting northern and southern St. Petersburg.
The structure is 622 meters long and 39 meters wide, with eight traffic lanes.
The bridge is approximately 4.5 kilometers from the Petersburg Oil Terminal, where a fire broke out following the attack.
The extent of damage to the bridge is still being assessed.
Four injured and 20,000 people left without power
According to Governor Alexander Drozdenko, debris from intercepted drones fell onto a residential building in the Vsevolozhsk district, causing a fire.
A woman and three children were injured.
In Gatchina, drone debris damaged an apartment building, while 55 vehicles were damaged in the settlement of Novoselye.
Damage was also reported to a private house near Kirovsk and four vehicles in Nizino, where a fire broke out.
Damage to energy infrastructure caused emergency power outages across the region.
According to the governor, two transformer substations in Yanino remained without power.
Approximately 20,000 people living in 50 apartment buildings were affected by the outage.
Residents of St. Petersburg’s Kalininsky and Krasnogvardeysky districts, as well as the Ruchyi area, also reported electricity disruptions.
Heating problems were reported at several residential complexes in Novosaratovka.
The attack prompted partial traffic restrictions on the Western High-Speed Diameter and the Ring Road.
Restrictions were also imposed on operations at Pulkovo Airport. Local residents were warned of possible mobile internet disruptions.
There were also reports of a fire at an Ozon distribution center in St. Petersburg following the drone attack. The company confirmed the incident and said there were no injuries.
According to ASTRA followers, employees had been evacuated in advance.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said that, according to his information, no one had been injured in the city itself.
The Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channel Nikolaevsky Vanek described the operation as “one of our most successful attacks in recent times”.
