Russia says dozens of Ukrainian drones downed over St Petersburg

Russia shot down dozens of Ukrainian drones over Saint Petersburg, authorities said Saturday, with an oil terminal hit and drones falling on a key port as well as a historic palace complex. The strikes on President Vladimir Putin's home city came after a massive Russian attack on Kyiv killed 30 people this week. Ukraine has increasingly hit Russian cities far from the border in retaliation for Moscow's daily strikes in the offensive since February 2022.

"The strike hit the area of an oil terminal in the Kirovsk district of the city. The technical consequences have been resolved. There were no casualties," Saint Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said on social media. "Air defence forces shot down 72 UAVs, one of which crashed in Peterhof. There were no casualties or damage," he added. The Peterhof palace is a giant estate of gardens and a palace built in the 18th century under Russian Tsar Peter I.

Drone debris also fell around the port of Vysotsk, north of Saint Petersburg and near the border with Finland, the Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said. "Debris has been reported in the area of the port of Vysotsk. Details are being confirmed," Drozdenko said on social media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the Kronstadt naval base in Saint Petersburg was hit in the strikes. "Ukraine's defence forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and there were also successful strikes on Kronstadt -- an important military target," he said on social media. Kyiv has upped its attacks inside Russia, hitting targets as far as the Urals, with Putin admitting that Moscow needed to improve its air defences as part of the offensive, which has become Europe's worst conflict since World War II.